Two of the country’s winningest coaches in recent memory -- Brian Kelly and Lincoln Riley -- abandoned their programs to take over fellow powerhouse schools, signing contracts that are each expected to eclipse $100 million and stretch a decade in term.
Kelly left Notre Dame, which still has a chance to advance to the College Football Playoff, while Riley headed west to USC from Oklahoma.
The extraordinary moves have thrown a sport already heavily criticized for its lavish spending into a deeper divide.
Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger, Pat Forde and Richard Johnson spoke to more than a dozen people within college athletics in various capacities about what the coaches’ moves say about the broader context of college sports.