Bump. Looks like the blue bloods are struggling now that payments are above the table.
It's not so much that the payments are above the table, it's more that they have to actually compete to get guys now. Keep in mind, the SEC thanks to their relationship with the NCAA were allowed to straight up buy kids, without any fear of punishment. Whenever a school rose and threatened the status quo, and weren't in the "Circle", the SEC used the NCAA as attack dogs to cripple said programs.
USC is the prime example of that. What happened to that program was BS, and it was because they knew that even if Pete Carroll eventually left, SC had the talent to keep winning with a competent coach. It's not an accident that once SC fell off, SEC dominance really got going. Schools like Miami and SC are and will always be the SEC's biggest nightmare. City schools with local recruiting bases that few can match.
It's not an accident that the NCAA went after us the way they did. They wanted to snuff out Miami before things got started(Keep in mind, although Golden ultimately failed, he was seen as a good hire at the time). They crippled the program by keeping us in virtual probation for years as they struggled to build a case. They broke their own rules trying to "Get Miami" ignoring that their star witness told them that SEC programs were buying kids, he knew because he was bidding against them for the same athletes. By the time Miami got through it, the spark was snuffed out, and Miami had to spend years watching our backs. NIL removed that specter, that and hiring a legit program manager/builder. The NCAA can't run interference for the SEC anymore and you now see how an equal playing field leads to new outcomes.