There is a shared belief among fans of big-time college sports, such as football and men's basketball, that money should not be the main determinant of winning championships.
More than a century of college football history shows that money can increase success, including by paying players. Still, much has changed in recent years. The payouts have become larger and potentially more impactful.
No source can provide the exact amounts teams are paying players. The most accurate estimated numbers come from The Athletic. Using information from over 70 inside sources, Stewart Mandel, David Ubben, and Sam Khan Jr. published player payrolls for every Power Four football team. Recently, Mandel published interesting data (link requires a subscription) about how payroll budgets affect game outcomes.
The data indicates that up to a $10 million difference in player payrolls between two opponents, the bigger spender doesn't gain a significant advantage. When that difference grows to $15 million, the deep-pocket teams win almost four times more than the lesser spenders.
There are exceptions. Wake Forest and Kentucky are two teams that have prospered against big-dollar teams. Though not on the same scale as the Demon Deacons and the Wildcats, the Alabama Crimson Tide can be an 'overachiever' against Texas A&M.
Is Alabama a 'Good Guy' Program?
Defining the lower-spending team in a game as the 'good guys' is perhaps fanciful. Nevertheless, many fans find the presumption appealing. According to The Athletic, the Texas A&M Aggies have college football's fifth-highest player payroll, one step below LSU's. Alabama is tied with Texas Tech at the tenth-highest.
So calling Alabama a financial 'good-guy team' on Saturday, and two weeks from Saturday, is a stretch. The Aggies and the Bengal Tigers may only spend about $10 million more than the Crimson Tide. Not a stretch is that Texas A&M's money hasn't been well spent. And LSU's amount would be higher if Kiffin had been allowed to hire the professional players he sought.
Alabama fans need not worry too much about being outspent. Not all the $50 million-or-more teams are legit championship contenders. Texas is a prime example. In a recent radio interview, Mike Farrell cited Texas and Arch Manning as a telling example of how a team can be harmed by lavish spending.
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