These 8 Struggling College Football Programs Overspent Mightily On Their Rosters

In today’s era of college football, cash is king. Those that spend in NIL are often the most successful.

The most expensive rosters in 2026 are valued at upwards of $50 million. You’ll find many of those top spenders littered atop the most recent AP Poll.

Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Miami each fall in the $45 million range according to a recent report done by The Athletic. All three of those schools are ranked in the Top 5.

There are others, however, that have struggled despite massive budgets. Results don’t match the payroll. They overspent.

8 schools that overspent on their college football rosters.

The majority of these programs began the year in the Top 25 with the expectation that spending would translate to success. Many are now sitting outside the AP Poll.

These 8 schools have not seen a return on investment. Each likely paid at least $30 million for their lineups. They didn’t spend wisely.

LSU Tigers

LSU is one of two teams on this list that remains ranked in the latest AP Poll. They make the cut due to preseason national championship hype.

The Tigers spent abundantly on transfer talent in Lane Kiffin’s debut season. The lineup is valued between $47-50 million. The team is 5-2 with losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky.

LSU is currently ranked 18th. There is still a path to the College Football Playoff. With that said, they have fallen well short of expectation to this point with a Top 5 roster in terms of price.

Texas Longhorns

Another SEC squad with preseason national title ambitions, the Longhorns find themselves 4-2 and riding a two-game losing skid.

Two weeks ago, they were ranked No. 1. Last Saturday, they became the first top team since 1961 to lose back-to-back games to unranked foes. Steve Sarkisian is suddenly on the hot seat.

Texas is currently ranked No. 19. They spent between $45-55 million on the roster. The Longhorns might have the most expensive roster in the sport. Missing the College Football Playoff will be failure.

Oregon Ducks

The Ducks are the biggest disappointment of the season thus far. They started No. 2 in the preseason polls with a roster valued between $48-54 million. That “floor” was the second highest in the sport behind Ohio State.

Fast forward six games and Oregon is 4-2 and outside the Top 25. They’ve lost to Oklahoma State and UCLA. They maybe should’ve lost to Nebraska.

Oregon began the year as a national championship frontrunner. It could miss the playoffs with one more loss. Given the hefty investment, that won’t sit well with high paying donors.

Texas A&M Aggies

The Aggies have a Top 5 roster in terms of value, priced somewhere between $45-50 million. They are just 4-3 with a pair of blowout losses.

The offense has been bad under $3 million quarterback Marcel Reed. Texas A&M has been held to six points or less in half of its SEC contests.

Mike Elko made the College Football Playoff last year. He succeeded in retaining talent for another run this year. The price to keep top stars was high. The investment hasn’t paid off.

Michigan Wolverines

Michigan spent between $36-40 million on its roster, headlined by quarterback Bryce Underwood, who makes $3 million a year.

The team was expected to compete for a Big Ten title in Kyle Whittingham’s debut season. It has fallen well short.

The Wolverines are 4-2 with losses to Iowa and Minnesota. They needed a last-second Hail Mary to beat Western Michigan. They had to bench Underwood to beat Penn State.

Things could be unraveling in Ann Arbor. The juice hasn’t been worth the squeeze to this point.

Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma was a dark horse national title contender after making the College Football Playoff in 2025. The coaching staff successfully retained much of its talent, including $1.5 million QB John Mateer.

Unfortunately, the offense has struggled. The Sooners have already lost three games. They are no longer ranked in the AP Poll.

OU spent between $28-34 million on the roster. It’s not as high as some others on this list, but it still falls amongst the Top 20 most expensive in the sport. Production to this point has not matched value.

Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions spent between $29-32 million on the roster in Matt Campbell’s debut season. They are unranked with a losing record.

Penn State entered the year as a Top 20 team. It is now 3-4. Starting quarterback Rocco Becht, with an NIL valuation of $1 million, has struggled.

Campbell has yet to win a conference game. The path to a bowl game is possible, but he clearly overspent in the transfer portal.

South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina retained a trio of high-priced stars in LaNorris Sellers, Dylan Stewart, and Nyck Harbor. The roster as a whole is estimated to cost between $32-35 million.

The Gamecocks entered the season with hopes of regaining their 2024 form when they won nine games and just missed the playoff. It hasn’t happened.

The team is 3-3 after blowing 16- and 17-point leads to Mississippi State and Kentucky. Their stars have not delivered. Given the cost, Shane Beamer’s job could be at risk.