NCAA College Football Kickoff Poll
A new survey sponsored by Nexstar Media and conducted by Emerson College Polling centers around key issues of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), NCAA reforms, sports betting, and viewership.
NIL Perceptions and Reform
Four in five (80%) US residents support college athletes being paid for their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), while 20% oppose it. When asked about the impact of NIL on college football, 36% of Americans think it has made college football better, 27% worse, and 21% think it has no impact.
- Younger adults think NIL has made college football better (54%), decreasing with age to 14% of those 70 and older.
About half (49%) of Americans think college athletes should be paid for competing in major college sports, while a quarter (25%) think they should not be paid. Nineteen percent say it depends.
- 64% of former college athletes think they should be paid, compared to 47% of non-college athletes.
- 72% of adults under 30 think college athletes should be paid, with agreement decreasing with age to 26% of those over 70.
- Majorities of Black (68%) and Hispanic (61%) adults think college athletes should be paid compared to 43% of white adults who say the same.
A majority (81%) support a salary cap, or spending limit, for college athlete compensation, while 19% oppose such a measure. Americans are split on whether there should be a cap on the overall amount the program spends or the amount given to individual athletes: 42% think the cap should be on the overall amount spent, while37% think the cap should be on the amount given to individuals; 21% are not sure.
A third (33%) think the transfer portal has made college football better, 29% worse, and 19% think it has no impact. Adults with college degrees are more likely to think it makes football worse at 41%.
Just over half of Americans (51%) think coaches for major football programs should not be able to become head coach at a different institution during their current season, while 31% think they should be allowed. Seventeen percent are unsure.
Whether or not athletes should be considered employees of their school is also contested: 41% think they should not be considered employees while 39% think they should be.
Respondents were asked which of the following statements most closely reflects their view:
- 53% – College athletes deserve to be paid like professionals
47% – Paying athletes has gone too far and is damaging college sports.
A majority of white Americans (55%) think paying athletes has gone too far, compared to majorities of Black (71%) and Hispanics (66%) who say college athletes deserve to be paid like professionals.
Thinking about who should primarily regulate college athlete compensation, 46% think college and athletic conferences/NCAA should regulate it, 17% state governments, and 16% the federal government. Twenty-one percent are not sure.
Overall, 47% of respondents think NIL payments are making college sports less fair, while 27% think they are making college sports more fair; 27% think NIL has no impact.
Thirty-seven percent think NIL payments are definitely giving unfair advantages to wealthier college programs, while 29% think it is giving somewhat of an advantage, and 15% think it is giving no advantage.
- 55% of those who played a college sport think NIL payments definitely give an unfair advantage to wealthier college programs, compared to 34% of those who did not play a sport.
Thirty-eight percent of Americans say a political candidate’s position on college athlete compensation (NIL) is important to their vote, while a majority (51%) say it is not important to their vote.
Sports Betting
About a third (32%) of Americans have placed a bet on a college sports game, while 68% have not.
- 39% of men say they have placed a bet on a college sports game, compared to 25% of women.
- 40% of Black Americans and 38% of Hispanics have placed a bet on a college sports game, compared to 30% of whites.
Among those who have placed a bet on college sports, 39% won money, 25% lost money, and 22% broke even.
Forty-four percent of Americans think sports betting has made college sports worse, 22% think sports betting has made it better, and 35% think it has no impact.
A plurality of Americans who have bet on college sports (43%) say it would not affect their interest if they did not place sports bets; 31% of betters say they would be more interested in sports if they did not bet, and 21% say they would be less interested in sports if they did not bet.
Respondents were asked which of the following statements about how sports betting has impacted college sports most closely reflects their opinion:
- 21% – It makes games more exciting
- 42% – It takes away from/hurts the game and/or causes cheating
- 22% – Not opposed to it, but needs more regulation
- 14% – It has minimal/no impact
College Sports Viewership
A majority of U.S. adults, 67%, are interested in college sports, while 29% are not interested.
The primary source of information on sports cited in the United States is television (46%), followed by social media (22%). Sports websites (9%) and friends/family (8%) follow, along with radio (5%) and sports apps (5%).
A plurality (49%) would rather see a sports event in person rather than on television, while 33% would prefer to watch on television. Sixteen percent have no preference.
About a quarter of Americans (26%) paid to attend a women’s sports event in the last year, while 65% have not.
- The number of Americans who have paid to attend a women’s sports event in the last year has increased by 15 points since the 1985 Sports Illustrated poll, when 11% of Americans had paid to attend a women’s sports event in the previous 12 months.
Methodology
The Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media national survey was conducted July 26-28, 2026. The overall sample of U.S. adults, n=1,000, has a credibility interval, similar to a poll’s margin of error (MOE), of +/- 3 percent. The data sets were weighted by gender, education, race, age, party registration, and region based on U.S. Census parameters and voter file data. The sample of New York State residents is n=500, with a credibility interval of +/- 4.3 percent.
It is important to remember that subsets based on demographics, such as gender, age, education, and race/ethnicity, carry with them higher credibility intervals, as the sample size is reduced. Survey results should be understood within the poll’s range of scores, and with a confidence interval of 95% a poll will fall outside the range of scores 1 in 20 times.
Data was collected by contacting a panel of U.S. adults provided by PureSpectrum and a probability-based panel of adults provided by Consensus Strategies. The survey was hosted on QuestionPro. All respondents were recruited using customized links that prevent responses from anyone outside of the poll’s sample frame. Panel responses were matched to the Aristotle file using respondents’ full name and ZIP code. The survey was offered in English and Spanish.
