NIL-Top-10 compared AP-Top-10 Nov

Everyone in college football is talking about Name Image Likeness (NIL) and it’s effect on college sports, especially NCAA football. So is the NIL top-10 a determination of AP-top-10? Some articles herald it as a necessary growth part of NCAA football,  and other articles claim it is a possible pitfall.  But does college football NIL-top-10 compare to the on-the-field results, the AP-top-10?

Post-Week 11 College Football Playoff rankings

1. Georgia (10-0)         2. Ohio State (10-0)

3. Michigan (10-0)      4. TCU (10-0)

5. Tennessee (9-1)      6. LSU (8-2)

7. USC (9-1)                   8. Alabama (8-2)

9. Clemson (9-1)         10. Utah (8-2)

AP-Top-10 Notable Absences from NIL-top-10

Clemson, LSU, Tennessee, TCU, Utah and most notably USC are in the AP-,Top-10 without being in the NIL-top-10. That’s literally 6 out of 10 or 60% of the AP-Top-10 were not in the NIL-top-10.  USC is not even in the top 50.  TCU and Utah are not in the top 30.  So what’s the story, morning glory?

These 3 programs, TCU in the Big 12, and Utah and USC in the Pac 12, are roughly comparable to others in their conference.  TCU at 34 in the ratings holds against other Big 12 programs (notable exceptions the soon to leave Oklahoma and Texas).  Utah and USC in the Pac-12 are only outranked greatly by Oregon.

Clemson, LSU and Tennessee are just outside the top 10.  These programs have inched towards the top 10 as the season has progressed.  Especially TN has climbed with QB Hendon Hooker being an outside shot for the Heisman trophy (and lucrative NIL deals). h/t to AtoZ Sports…

The Football  NIL Ratings (from website on3 Football News )

1.Texas A&M                2.Alabama

3.Georgia                     4.Ohio State

5.Texas                         6.Notre Dame

7.Penn St.                    8.Oklahoma

9.Michigan                 10.North Carolina

AP-Top-10 compared to NIL-Top-10-Nov

Top Underperformers: So what’s up with the NIL-top-10?  Who are the outrageous outliers?  Can you pick them out?  Let’s start right at  NIL #1.  Texas A&M started the season with an epic beef with Coach Nick Saban about NIL. But injuries have helped derail the season, plus 4 losses over a month by less than a touchdown will be horrible.  Especially in the tough SEC West.

AP-Top-10 compared to NIL-Top-10-Nov

The other pretty bad underperformers start with NIL #5 Texas.  Again, injury struck Texas hard and early with QB Quinn Ewers knocked out in the game with Alabama, missing over a month.  Texas was earlier in the top 25, but now sits only at 6-4.  Another notable disappointment is NIL #6 Oklahoma. They are 5-5 for the year, unranked, and notably hurting at 2-5 in conference and reeling with 2 consecutive losses. Both of these are in great power conferences where a hair’s breadth separates the best from the rest.

Best of the Rest

Marginal underperformers include Notre Dame.  They are #6 NIL ranked, and currently #18 in the College Football Rankings. North Carolina is barely worth mentioning, but they are in the NIL-top-10 and not in the AP-top-10.  They are having a great season though, #13 in the AP-top-10 after Week 11.

Check out my other NIL articles, most of all my sister article from October comparing NIL to AP rankings. But you might also enjoy some Weird NIL article, top 5 NIL Food Deals, and very recently, NIL Deals Gone Wrong.