It would be fair enough to say that Judge Claudia Wilken changed the game, and it comes with a $20.5 million tag. In 2021, the NCAA legalized NIL for its athletes. Turning a new leaf in 2025 with the latest House settlement, colleges can now opt to pay their student-athletes. And the cap? $20.5 million! But wait, didn’t Texas Tech talk publicly about spending $30 million in NIL money? What a stark contrast from the “amateurism” concept that college football believed in. Nevertheless, it’s real, and the “reality” has been enacted since July.

Programs are buried deep in how to navigate this and raise the funds. Boosters? Collectives? Alumni? Pretty much everyone is trying to figure it out. Amidst all of this, we have a legendary NFL coach who, even after navigating the pro league, is running mental sprints on how to navigate NIL and save his alma mater, and possibly shake hands with its arch-rival. So, who is he? Well, he is a Super Bowl champion turned NFL coach, who has two NFL Coach of the Year accolades stashed in his back pocket.

The name? Ron Rivera. Coming to the Bay Area, two football giants, who hold a tradition of rivalry, are trying to find common ground. Cal GM Ron Rivera and Stanford GM Andrew Luck had a candid chat at the Women’s Coaching Alliance panel in San Mateoon about the post-House settlement world. And the $20.5 million cap? It has to be raised year over year.

It was a striking admission on Rivera’s part, as he advocated for the survival of his alma mater. And he didn’t sugarcoat it.“Cal and Stanford are married at the hip, let’s be honest about that,” said Ron Rivera. “Understand, we need your support. We have an opportunity to own this part of the Bay and 5th largest TV market. That’s why it’s important to be relevant, and we believe in our university.” Both Luck and Rivera agreed that something needs to be done.

And considering Cal’s been struggling with its finances pretty badly, could you say that this is the need of the hour? Although ‘IF’ this partnership materializes, this won’t be the first time that the Cardinal has played an influential role in Cal’s journey. Stanford’s influence on Cal’s entry to the ACC was pretty much in front of our faces.

He continued. “That’s why it’s important, when there is another realignment, there’s major college football in the Bay Area, that’s what we are all about. We do believe in each other because we need one another to exist, and without it, there’s no yin or yang.” And then, the Super Bowl is also coming to the Bay Area in the upcoming season. It would be folly not to capitalize on these factors. So yes, Cal and Cardinal, rivals by tradition, partners by necessity, don’t seem too bad. But Cal is already sailing in financially troubled waters. Can Rivera keep it afloat?

Can Ron Rivera save Cal’s sinking ship?

Ron Rivera has been previously pretty active in his school’s collective. Now with the latest revenue-sharing model, he will be more involved. And Cal Deputy Athletic Director Jay Larson seems positive about Rivera taking on this challenge.

“Ron has been a great asset for this university for many years,” Larson said. “One way to help generate $20 million is getting support from the Cal community. So bringing in prominent, well-respected people who love their university and inspire donors and fans to contribute to the cause is critical.”

Cal’s financial books are already stretched too thin. His woes are a result of a combination of the rise in education costs, fiscal challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, a declining media payout from the Pac-12 and debt accumulated in a costly stadium renovation completed over a decade ago. And if the data from the Sportico’s college sports finance database is to be considered, then the Golden Bears have the most outstanding athletic debt of any public school in the nation at $439.6 million as of 2022-23, nearly five times the national average sports debt. But at least Larson has faith in Rivera’s abilities.

Since 2021, there have been allegations of “pay-for-play” as the transfer portal eased the movement of players across programs. So, can the new playbook amplify those concerns? Maybe, maybe not. But one thing is clear: it has drastically changed the game, and programs are grappling to make their favorite player stay, and it’s disproportionate. Just look at Wyoming, which produced NFL talent like Josh Allen — it can barely scrape together $2.8 million out of the humongous $20.5 million cap.

The picture ain’t that cozy on the other side, either. Powerhouse Alabama is also struggling with NIL, asking its fanbase to contribute a financial chunk. On the other hand, Texas Tech has talked about spending a whopping $30 million in NIL money. So, the question is, how far is too far?