In 2024, NIL deals across most college football programs reached $900 million. Reshaping, recruiting, and refreshing rosters certainly helped teams. Powerhouses like Ohio State and Oregon thrive under the new pay-to-play dynamic. However, when Texas Tech dropped $28 million, UCF’s Scott Frost didn’t rejoice. He sounded the alarm bells and offered a Nostradamus view into the sport’s future.

Texas Tech holds a strong position in the league with a 9-1 record, and UCF is going up against them this week. Everyone knows it’s going to be a one-sided game for the Red Raiders. Yet, Scott Frost sees a striking reason behind it:

NIL!

As per On3’s Pete Nakos, Joey McGuire’s team has spent $28 million on their roster, which is second only to the Texas Longhorns. This is why they hold a 9-win record, whereas UCF stands at a measly 4-5 this season.

Explaining his take on the entire money thing, Scott Frost takes a subtle jab at Texas Tech, saying, “I hate where the game is right now. It’s great that players are being compensated, but there were absolutely no guardrails around it, and that’s a shame for a guy who spent most of his life in college football and loves it, as well as the purity of it. It’s not where it should be right now. That being said, the teams that are doing things to get ahead.” The examples are right in front of your screen.

Notably, Texas Tech’s former OL and billionaire Cody Campbell’s fortune in the oil business is pushing the school’s NIL efforts. The same goes for Oregon, which Nike’s Phil Knight has compensated. Let’s not forget Michigan’s head-turning $10 million offer to Bryce Underwood, which came from Dave Portnoy. So Scott Frost knows he can’t blame programs for using up their money, yet he admits how far behind they are.

“It’s the old saying, You don’t hate the player; hate the game. I don’t blame them, and they did a good job using their resources to get a good enough team to be eight and one right now. And sure, everybody wishes they could do that, but not everybody has the ability to do that,” he said.

Texas Tech NIL expenditures focus heavily on building strength on both sides. With QB Behren Morton getting a deal worth $1 million and LB David Bailey projecting a value of $1.2 million, it’s clear that they are not backing down from the contest. Ultimately, it’s all about money. Despite having a direct revenue-sharing clause, the more you invest, the better you perform. That difference concerns Frost.

Even after donating half a million dollars to the school’s Competitive Success Fund team, Frost couldn’t attract extraordinary players. However, it’s worth noting that this is the same team that went 4-8 last season. So, what are the odds? With that, another concern emerges for Scott Frost’s team.

Scott Frost’s QB position raises concerns

So far, Scott Frost has played different quarterbacks this season. Among them, Tayven Jackson has played the most, starting in seven of eight games. Cam Fancher, who got injured last week, is the second-most-used QB. Then even Jacurri Brown, Brock Hansel, and Davi Belfort saw some action in the game.

But one wrong call ended Scott Frost’s team’s chances against Houston last week. Jackson started the game, completing 15 of 29 passes for 136 yards and one interception while dealing with a hamstring injury. Even though the offense was struggling, they still had time to pull out a win. But with just two minutes left in the game, Frost benched him for Belford in the final drive. The result?

Belfort threw an interception that ended the game for them. Before this game, he had thrown just three passes, and coming into such a high-pressure situation, things turned weird for him, too. After the game, Scott Frost explained his intentions: “Yeah, Tayven had a hamstring (injury) earlier in the game, and we had taped it up,” Frost said. “Just figured in that situation (Houston) would be probably coming after us. We needed someone who could get away from the pass rush a little and maybe create something. And for the most part, it worked.”

Even though he believed Belfort had more mobility to handle Houston’s defense, the sudden move is surprising. Now, let’s just hope they don’t make such blunders against Texas Tech because that might just end their bowl hopes, too.