DALLAS — As the football offseason heats up with strategic meetings and calendar negotiations, a quiet but consequential battle is unfolding before our eyes.
For a school like Arkansas that is scratching to raise every dollar possible it’s something worth watching.
Considering a former Razorback is now one of the key owners in that 32-team private club with Jerry Jones gives it some local interest.
All involved will say they don’t want to destroy college athletics, which is definitely true. Under the current setup they have their equivalent of baseball’s farm system without having any additional headaches.
One has to wonder, though, if college football’s multiple problems are just something the NFL is watching … and figuring out how they can make more money.
Some can call it a power play. Others will say it’s a money grab. Those two usually go hand-in-hand.
The NFL is steadily encroaching on college football’s once-sacred turf, reshaping the sport’s traditions, viewership, and future.
While both sides claim to seek collaboration, the NFL’s dominance in scheduling and media rights is leaving college football with fewer options and less visibility.
Thursday Nights: The first front lost
Once a showcase for college football’s rising programs, Thursday nights have become a casualty of the NFL’s relentless expansion.
ESPN pioneered midweek college games to give non-bluebloods a national stage, but since the NFL made Thursday Night Football a weekly staple in 2006, college football’s presence on that night has dwindled.
In 2006, ESPN aired 13 Thursday games featuring BCS teams — eight with ranked squads.
By 2024, only four Thursday games involved a power-conference team, and just one included a ranked program. The NFL’s Amazon deal, worth billions, has only cemented its grip on Thursday primetime.
Saturday showdowns: No longer sacred
Saturdays, the traditional home of college football, are also under siege.
The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 was supposed to shield college and high school football from the NFL’s broadcast might, barring pro games on Fridays and Saturdays during the regular college season.
Yet, as college football’s postseason expands — with a 12-team playoff and talk of a 16-team bracket — the NFL is scheduling marquee games on Saturdays in December, directly competing with the College Football Playoff (CFP).
Last year, the NFL scheduled high-profile games like the Chiefs vs. Texans and Ravens vs. Steelers right up against the CFP’s first-round matchups.
The result?
The NFL “handily outdrew the CFP broadcasts,” underscoring the power imbalance. As one FBS commissioner bluntly put it, “The NFL is going to do what the NFL is going to do.”
Congress and the SBA: A fading shield
Senate Commerce Committee chairman Ted Cruz recently highlighted the NFL’s “tiptoeing up to the rule” that protects college and high school football, noting the league’s Black Friday game as an example of encroachment.
Cruz warned, “There are millions of sports fans who like being able to follow high school, college and professional football without having to choose amongst them. And it’s partly why Congress wrote the SBA in the manner it did.”
But the NFL’s willingness to test these boundaries — streaming games on Black Friday and stacking Saturday slates in December — shows the limits of legislative protection.
The College Football Playoff: Expansion and erosion
The CFP’s expansion to 12 — and possibly 16 — teams is meant to increase excitement and revenue, but it also creates more scheduling headaches.
The more college football stretches its season, the more it collides with the NFL’s calendar. CFP executive director Rich Clark met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who assured him the NFL was “committed” to working with the playoff on scheduling.
The Big Ten and SEC may get treated by the big boys the same way they are trying to run roughshod over other conferences. They appear to want it all.
But when the NFL released its 2025 schedule, it slotted the Bears-Packers rivalry and an NFC title game rematch directly against the CFP’s opening weekend.
As Clark admitted, “We all know it could be even bigger” if college football didn’t have to compete with the NFL.
The Future: A permanent power shift?
With the NFL considering an 18-game season and potentially moving its start to Labor Day, college football’s calendar could be pushed even further to the margins.
TV networks, schools, and fans are wary of moving rivalry week or playing more games in the August heat, but the pressure is mounting.
The NFL’s Super Bowl could soon land on Presidents’ Day weekend, creating a national holiday atmosphere and further overshadowing college football’s postseason.
Conclusion: Tradition vs. television
The NFL’s scheduling power play isn’t just about ratings or revenue—it’s about cultural dominance.
College football, once the centerpiece of fall weekends, is being forced to adapt, move, and compromise.
As the NFL continues to expand its reach, college football’s leaders must decide whether to fight for their traditions or accept a permanent role as the undercard.
As one senior college administrator put it, “The [TV networks] don’t want it, but we might have to push up anyway.”
The battle for football’s calendar is far from over, but the NFL’s momentum is unmistakable.
The colleges may just have to figure out a way to deal with it.