Imagine it’s a wild college football Saturday. A kind of day where three games hit the red zone at once and you’re frantically flipping channels, trying not to miss a single touchdown. For years, college football fans have lived with that chaos. And if you’re wondering why no one has figured out how to give the game its own ‘every big play, every moment’ channel. Well, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell might be holding the answer. And it’s not just a far-fetched dream. 

Last week, ESPN pulled off a headline grabber. They’re set to purchase the NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and a slew of league assets. Roger Goodell admitted that the sports media giant now owns the whole RedZone experience and could do whatever they please with it, even straight to the heart of college football Saturdays. And that’s where a CBS Sports and On3 analyst walked in and lit the fuse. 

On TexAgs on August 7, Josh Pate dropped a bold take. When asked whether the NFL could take over college football from the NCAA, his answer was quick. “Yes, I do think it’s possible,” he said. But he didn’t just stop there and laid out a stealth strategy. “I think the smartest thing to do would be to take it over and never have their sticker on it whatsoever.” Think big media companies bankrolling productions without rolling their logo anywhere, letting them appear independent while quietly controlling the show. And here’s where it gets juicier. 

Josh Pate pointed to the NFL’s unmatched playbook in collective bargaining, employment models, and licensing agents. These are things that the NCAA still fumbles with. He wasn’t pulling any punches on scheduling either. “You’re also talking about complaining that you can’t make your playoff work right now because it keeps running into NFL in December and January,” he added. “Well, the NFL just went into business with ESPN. It wouldn’t shock me if the NFL went into business with college football for very similar reasons. Because each has something the other needs, desires.” Normally, the question is what does college football has that the NFL desires?

Josh Pate was prepared for that exact question. “College football is currently a pipeline development and marketing system for the NFL that the NFL doesn’t pay a dime for,” he said. His prime example is Miles Garrett. Unlike in college basketball, college football gets an athlete out in the spotlight before he even reaches draft eligibility. “Miles Garrett is a star and he’s developed and everyone knows his name the day he’s drafted in the NFL,” he said. “And they never had to spend a dime on either of those things.” So, college football has been footing the bill for the NFL’s farm system for decades. Maybe it’s time the NFL gave a little back.

Now imagine this, a college football RedZone. Flipping between every 20-yard-line moment from Tuscaloosa to Eugene. Split-screening wild finishes, and turning your Saturdays into NFL Sundays on adrenaline. ESPN has the rights. The NFL has the blueprint. And Josh Pate’s theory says it’s logical. And that brings us to the other half of Goodell’s week, the part where he fired a shot across the sports world’s bow.

Roger Goodell’s bold stance on the NBA

In one of the boldest interviews, Roger Goodell made it clear he’s not losing sleep over Adam Silver or Rob Manfred. “We’re not competing with the NBA or MLB. Our competitors are Apple and Google,” he said. It’s a cocky stance, but $23 billion was brought in by NFL revenue last year. This is double the NBA’s record $11.3 billion and nearly double of MLB’s $12.1 billion. So you can see why he’s flexing. Still, the NBA isn’t standing still, especially with a planned European expansion that could turn the global sports map upside down.

If Silver’s Europe play hits, the NBA could start taking the kind of international market share that the NFL has barely touched. That might force Roger Goodell to think beyond Sunday ratings and into seven-day-a-week sports domination. Which, funny enough, brings us right back to college football. Because if the NFL controls Saturdays and Sundays, they can own the American weekend all through fall and winter.

When asked about the RedZone model’s future, Roger Goodell doubled down on ESPN’s new power saying, “It will be the NFL RedZone… ESPN purchased the RedZone name, and they will be able to utilize that for other sports, college football, and other things. And I think that could be an exciting thing for our fans also to see a RedZone, maybe in college football or other sports.” Because if the NFL finds a way to own Saturdays alongside Sundays, they’ll be running the country’s sports calendar like a well-oiled two-minute drill. And when that happens, the question won’t be if the NFL takes over college football. The question will be when.