In the ever-evolving world of college football, money talks-and according to Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell, some powerhouse programs may be falling behind in the conversation.
Campbell, a Fort Worth oilman with more than $3 billion in assets and deep ties to Texas Tech, didn’t hold back when discussing the financial landscape of the sport in the NIL and transfer portal era. Speaking on Will Cain Country, Campbell pointed to Alabama and Auburn as two programs struggling to keep up with the financial firepower of schools like Texas and those in the Big Ten.
“You can look at the transfer portal rankings right now. Schools like Alabama and Auburn are struggling,” Campbell said.
“They don’t have the booster support. Nothing against Alabama, I have a ton of respect for that program.
But they can’t raise the money like the University of Texas can… They don’t have as much money in the institution itself, they don’t have the donor support.”
That’s a bold statement when you consider Alabama’s historic dominance on the field. But Campbell’s point isn’t about tradition-it’s about sustainability in a college football economy that’s rapidly shifting toward a pay-to-play model. And in that model, deep pockets matter more than ever.
He wasn’t done, either. Campbell sees a reshuffling of the college football hierarchy coming, and he believes financial muscle will define the new “blue bloods.”
One of the most surprising names he brought up? Indiana.
“The identity of the blue bloods are changing,” Campbell said. “So, certain schools that have historically been really good or had a great brand or won national championships in the past won’t anymore.
It will be the schools that have the financial resources that will. You’ll start to see Indiana start to show up every year and people will say ‘I’m kind of tired of Indiana’ after a while.
You’re just trading one group of blue bloods for another."
It’s a provocative take, and not everyone agrees with Campbell’s assessment-especially when it comes to Auburn.
Enter Paul Finebaum, who believes the Tigers might actually be better positioned than Alabama in this new era-not because of tradition, but because of billionaire backing.
“We’re talking billionaires now,” Finebaum said during an appearance on The Matt Barrie Show. “And outside of Texas and Texas A&M, the list of billionaires starts to get really thin.
I could tell you in the state of Alabama, there are two billionaires, only two in the entire state. They’re both Auburn supporters.
Alabama doesn’t have a billionaire.”
Finebaum’s point is clear: when it comes to NIL money and revenue sharing, billionaires matter. They can fund NIL collectives, bankroll facilities, and keep top-tier talent flowing into the program. And while $800 million is nothing to sneeze at, it’s a lot easier to write a $10 million check when your net worth starts with a “B.”
One of those Auburn-aligned billionaires was the late Jimmy Buffett, who passed away in 2023. The other is Jimmy Rane-better known as the “YellaFella”-the CEO of Great Southern Wood and Auburn’s most prominent financial backer. Rane may not match Campbell’s wealth dollar for dollar, but his commitment to Auburn football is unwavering.
That’s where the gap may be widening for Alabama. Without a comparable financial heavyweight in their corner, the Crimson Tide could find themselves at a disadvantage as the game continues to tilt toward those who can spend big and spend often.
As the traditional powers of college football navigate this new terrain, the question isn’t just who has the best facilities or the deepest history-it’s who has the resources to keep up. And if Campbell’s predictions hold true, we might be looking at a very different college football map in the not-so-distant future.