Ohio State, Texas, Oregon Top The Athletic's CFB Roster Spending Estimates in New Report

Big Ten and SEC schools reportedly make up the five highest-spending teams in college football in terms of NIL allocations to their rosters.

The Athletic's Stewart Mandel, David Ubben and Sam Khan Jr. published NIL estimates for 68 teams from the Power Four conferences—and Notre Dame—on Wednesday, and Ohio State leads the way with an estimated budget of between $49 million and $54 million.

Here is a look at the entire top 10, featuring two Big Ten schools at the top, and six from the SEC:

1. Ohio State: $49M-$54M

2. Oregon: $48M-$54M

3. Texas: $45M-$55M

4. LSU: $47M-$50M

5. Texas A&M: $45M-$50M

6. Miami (Fla.): $44M-$50M

7. Notre Dame: $41M-$48M

8. Ole Miss: $39M-$45M

9. Tennessee: $41M-$43M

10. Alabama: $38M-$42M

It is likely no coincidence that each of the 14 highest-spending teams in college football in terms of NIL are ranked inside the Associated Press Top 25 after Week 2 of the 2026 season.

Out of the 25 highest-spending programs, 18 of them are currently ranked inside the top 25.

Eight of the 10 highest-spending teams are AP top 10 teams, including the No. 1 Texas Longhorns, who are coming off a come-from-behind, 24-23 win over now-No. 6 Ohio State.

Ohio State Buckeyes - Texas Longhorns Highlights

01:29

The lone exceptions are No. 4 Indiana and No. 2 Georgia, who rank Nos. 13 and 19 in estimated NIL spending, respectively.

After Week 2, the biggest outlier in terms of spending compared to ranking is Oregon, which has the second-highest spending floor and ceiling.

Following a narrow win over Boise State in Week 1 and a shocking loss to Oklahoma State in Week 2, the Ducks are now the No. 21-ranked team in the nation.

However, led by quarterback Dante Moore, Oregon is still considered one of the most talented teams in the nation, and head coach Dan Lanning's squad is a strong candidate to bounce back and reach the College Football Playoff by year's end.