Kirk Herbstreit: ‘2024 is where college football is going to do a seismic shift’

There’s a new wave of college football coming. College realignment will have the sport looking more different than ever and before we know it, an expanded CFP will be here. Going from four teams to 12 will be quite the change, causing something ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit called a “seismic shift.”

Herbstreit spoke on the matter at the On3 NIL Elite Series, with some of the best 2024 recruits in the country in attendance. By the time they are walking onto campuses as true freshmen, college football is going to look completely different.

“I think 2024 is when college football is going to do this seismic shift,” Herbstreit said. “We got Texas and Oklahoma going into the SEC. You got USC and UCLA going into the Big Ten and I don’t think that’s done. I think there’s going to be more movement. Wouldn’t be surprised.

“We’re going from four teams to 12 teams in the playoff. I mean, everything is getting ready to just change. And you guys are going to be at the front row for that. That’s so hype. I mean, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

With change, comes a lot of questions though. Especially in the world of NIL, where there are not a ton of regulations surrounding the concept at the moment. Multiple different states have individual laws but they all differ from each other.

Uniform regulation for NIL is something Herbstreit wants, allowing every program across the country on the same playing field.

“I’m guessing NIL is going to be a part of it,” Herbstreit said on the upcoming change in college football. “I know right now Congress is talking about it because we have didn’t rules within each state. Which is crazy to me. It should be uniform, the whole thing. Whatever Georgia is doing, Alabama should be doing. And Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, USC… It’s very bizarre.”

Herbstreit gave his suggestion to help the cause, saying conferences should pull away from the NCAA. Going to a model similar to the NFL would massively benefit college football in his eyes, shrinking the amount of people making important decisions.

“My answer would be they pull away from the NCAA,” Kirk Herbstreit said. “This ‘new world’ 2024 is going to be. You but three or four leagues in that ‘world.’ You create a commissioner. Right now, we have five different commissioners with five different agendas. No one likes each other, no one trusts each other. How are we getting anything done? We need one voice to make the decisions for everybody.

“Then they partner with a group like this, the players, and they do a Collective Bargaining Agreement. You, the players, and the commissioner, kind of like the NFL, come up with what the rules are for NIL, and then you enforce them. You break off from the NCAA and go do your own thing.”