The Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football’s Era of Chaos

by Armen Keteyian, John Talty

“An explosive tell-all book.”—Sports Illustrated

“This is a must-read masterpiece.”—Paul Finebaum, ESPN college football analyst and New York Times bestselling author

Two of the nation’s most respected sports journalists team up for a vital, hard-hitting investigation into the tumultuous state of big-time college football.

We are living in the Wild West of college sports. Name, Image and Likeness endorsements, the transfer portal, collectives, conference realignment, the powerful influence of media companies have all rendered the notion of amateur athletics a quaint relic of the past, replaced by a Brave New World where money and self-interest rule.

The Price is a sweeping, in-depth, thought-provoking look at an inflection point in big-time college football. Six time New York Times bestselling author Armen Keteyian and award-winning national college football reporter John Talty conducted more than two hundred wide-ranging interviews with head coaches, athletic directors, conference commissioners, administrators, politicians, power brokers, agents and media executives from one corner of the sport to the other. They reveal never-before-reported details on major players such as Nick Saban, Jim Harbaugh, Kirby Smart, Jimbo Fisher, and Lane Kiffin. Keteyian and Talty’s reporting also lays bare the machinations that destroyed the historic conference that was the Pac-12, purely in the name of greed.

As the sport’s premier coaches race for the exits, Keteyian and Talty reveal deep, dark truths about a beloved game under siege—and the financial, physical, emotional and psychological toll taken on everyone whose dreams and fortunes often depend on the final score on a Saturday afternoon.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Football, Audiobook, Politics, Contemporary, Journalism

352 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 27, 2024

Reviews

[John Schorg · Rating 4 out of 5]

When college football finally implodes due to greed, this book will serve as the starting point in determining how it happened. Toward the end, the authors take a few moments to talk about some of the things that make the sport so cherished among its advocates. Hold on to those memories because now college football is ruled by short-sighted administrators, arrogant coaches who find their power ebbing, and players who finally have the ability to do what they want. Add it all up, throw in billions of dollars of TV money, and you have a recipe for a coming wasteland. The authors lay it out well, with the only surprise is that they do not do anything with the landmines coming in the shape of expanded sports betting. This is a critical, crucial work.

[CatReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

In The Price, sports journalists Armen Keteyian and John Talty write about scandals and other newsworthy events in the realm of college football in the last decade. Of significant impact was the name, image and likeness (NIL) rule that came about after the 2021 Supreme Court decision in NCAA vs. Alston that ruled that the NCAA could not prevent collegiate athletes from profiting from their own fame through endorsement deals, appearances, merchandise, and the like. Keteyian and Talty also talk about how recent football conference shufflings and antics of various big egos in the field have impacted the sport.

I picked this book up as the title sounded interesting, and I was looking for a similar, but more objective, book compared to Merl Code's Black Market: An Insider's Journey into the High-Stakes World of College Basketball. I am not a football fan and have never attended a college football game, despite having attended or worked at several of the universities mentioned in the book. While the writing is engaging, the content went far over my head as I had never heard any of the overwhelmingly large cast of characters being constantly namedropped. I made it through about 3/4 of the book before getting bored enough to drop it. I do think fans of college football who are familiar with the cast of characters would probably enjoy this read.

My statistics:
Book 263 for 2024
Book 1866 cumulatively

[Tim Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educational Journalism

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. College football has passed me by as a fan so I appreciated this primer into the current state of college football - this book was published in late 2024. The authors take us behind the scenes of major collegiate programs at Alabama, Arizona, Maryland, and Michigan. Television money and influence are discussed. The insane money being thrown at top coaches and sadly the unimaginable hours and pressures these coaches face. I was in the latter stages of the book when the Michigan head coach scandal story broke and is rocking the collegiate sports world. I thought back to the passages in this book describing the life of a Power 5 coach. Overall this is an excellent book for both the hard-core college football fan or a more casual fan such as myself.

[Jared Blum · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like college football and are interested in how NIL has changed the game, this is for you.

[Josh Medlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and eye-opening. Lots of things that the public eye doesn’t/didn’t see. College sports is slowly becoming a follow the leader through political movements. Would for sure recommend if college football madness is what you’re interested in!

[Monica Zebold-Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the beginning of most major sports seasons, I try to read a book that gets me pumped up. This book was an honor of the start of college football.
I was intrigued about everything I learned about college ball, the coaches, name, image and likeness, regulations, the transfer portal and the different conferences and how they don’t even make geographical sense anymore.
Many of the sports themed books I read are biographies of prominent former players and or an underdog having a winning season. season. This one covered the most recent 10 to 15 years of college football, so I knew most of the coaches, schools and programs.
And yes, I am now pumped up.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5. This is an excellent account of the current state of college football. It's well-researched and written with integrity. The audiobook was also incredibly compelling.

[Connor Turley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saban vs Fisher, Harbaugh vs the NCAA, Ed O’bannon, Jaden Rashada, Jimmy Sexton and NIL. If you’re a fan of CFB this is a must read, a deep look into the underbelly of the new CFB landscape.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent, contemporary, well sourced book about the recent changes to the college sports landscape, especially football.

[Kylie Daspit · Rating 1 out of 5]

I never want to see this book again.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

many of the same praises i have for the last one by mr keteyian. loved the nil info. loved the fall of the pac12 section. rest in peace, conference of champions. loses a star for the focus on That School. but also that section was kind of epic in terms of ncaa hatred bc not allowing j*dd f*sch’s daughters to say goodbye to the players they had basically become family w is INSANE. like. i get it. but that’s a really good story to make everyone hate the ncaa. i’m anti jim harbaugh. but it was so funny to relive that whole “free harbaugh” situation. a truly epic book. i am once again saying armen keteyian are you looking for a co author for your next college football book. also. kenny dillingham mention

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great! Well researched and had me going to google to check up on people and events. I learned a lot (and cried a lot at my beloved pac-12 breakup chapter)!

[Cloe M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book really interesting even though it took so long to read. There’s a really different look into what the NCAA is really dealing with and a lot that fans don’t take into consideration.

[Steve Eubanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most well-researched books I’ve read in a long time - hundreds of anecdotes and details that could only be written after extensive reporting. Having covered college football for a long time, I know that this reporting is not easy. You’re more likely to get one-on-one time with the Pope than sit down for a cup of coffee with an SEC head coach. The fact that Armen Keteyian and John Talty pulled this off is remarkable.

As someone who wrote extensively about the arrogance and cavalier evil of the NCAA, I was concerned that the authors would take a biased side in the NIL debate. They didn’t. There is, indeed, chaos in college football at the moment. I contend that that’s a good thing. Markets always work themselves out but only when disruption causes pain. Remember Gateway computers? Yeah, it’ll be like that.

Television has led to some silly stuff - Stanford in the Atlantic Coast Conference is a denial of basic geography. But that too will shake out. Network and cable business models are in free fall with demographics working against them. It will take a few more years, but equilibrium will be reached. Supply and demand is like gravity: they’re laws for a reason.

Back to this book: it’s incredible. I’ve known Nick Saban for years, and I didn’t know many of the stories and insights in here. And the stuff about Michigan, Arizona, Maryland, and Georgia make it worth your time.

I can’t recommend this one enough.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s this simple: if you dont pay attention to college football, definitely dont read this book, because you simply wont care. If you DO follow college football—even casually—this is an absolute must read.

Even my most casual friends are aware of my contempt for the NCAA and its insane quest to maintain the “student-athlete” fiction. (And just wait til you read why that term originated) While The Price shows a definite need for a governing body in the ever-burgeoning world of college sports (particularly in football), it makes an equally compelling case that the NCAA is not that body. I can almost guarantee that even the most rabid fan will be, if not shocked, then horrified by some of the scenarios laid bare by the authors.

I’ve been following Armen Keteyian’s word since Sports Illustrated was the best sports coverage in the world, i.e., a long time. I was not familiar with John Talty’s work, but I certainly am now. Together, they have put together an absolute blockbuster of an expose, and I salute them.

I’m a big sports person, but football is probably my least favorite sport. I keep up with it because my family does, and I usually watch my alma mater’s game against its most hated rival (which is a school figuring prominently in The Pride). I’m glad I’m no more invested than that.

[Sam Maloney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fascinating and entertainingly written, and a good overview of what's going on with college sports in the aftermath of NIL and the slow degredation of the FBS system. Where the book falls flat, in my view, and does not get a 5 star review is that it is clearly unbalanced and only presents one side of the story. For example, the authors spend 3-4 chapters on Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, and cover his running of the program very well

I appreciated the Saban chapters the most, because those were clearly Saban surrogates (and now that Saban is retired, perhaps they could speak more freely), along with them talking about Jimbo Fisher, a certain quarterback who got screwed by unscrupulous Florida boosters, and concealing the best accounting of the SEC/Big 10 aiming to kill the NCAA to recapture more profits in the afterword, of all places. Their profile of a certain agent is fascinating and makes me very much want to think.

Excellent book to read to understand the way in which college football has broken, and how that screws over athletes and fans (the coaches are doing just fine).

[Niz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The king may not be dead, yet.

College Football coaches are the last absolute monarchs. For too long they have reigned supreme over their realms as the most skillful of Machiavellian leaders. This is all changing as the NIL revolution continues to roll through the old regimes of college football. Like most revolutions, the NIL tide will destroy the very system that gave it life. What will rise out of the destruction? We will see.

This book tells this story. It clearly and concisely rips away the curtain and exposes the reality of college football. It’s all about power, ego, and money.

Next time a coach from a power football school stands up and talks about family, student-athletes, integrity, loyalty, it will be appropriate to roll your eyes and switch the channel.

Then again you may not want to read this book if you still believe that coaches are servant leaders working for the greater good and development of young men.

[Sheila Melo · Rating 4 out of 5]

In "The Price," Armen Keteyian provides a comprehensive chronicle of college football's 2023 season, capturing the shifts reshaping the sport. While the book skillfully weaves together the significant storylines—from NIL deals to conference realignments—much of the content will be familiar to those who follow the sport's headlines. However, Keteyian's talent lies in constructing a cohesive narrative from these disparate threads, offering valuable context and connections that might have been missed in the day-to-day news cycle.

The book's strength is its ability to paint the bigger picture of college football's evolving landscape, though dedicated followers of the sport may find few revelations. Despite this, Keteyian's storytelling makes "The Price" an engaging read that effectively captures a pivotal moment and the larger-than-life figures in college football today.

[Jack Vainisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts I liked:

-Initial Saban chapter talking about how much of a fucking lunatic he is. The governor coming to talk to the team at LSU and cutting him short because it was eating into practice time. After being alerted of 9/11 he said “Boys, there are some fucked up people in the world. Now what are we going to do when we’re in cover two against these routes”

-Comparing Sonny Vaccaro to Oppenheimer because he helped concoct the Ed O’Bannon lawsuit, which opened the door for players to be paid

-the Jimbo Fisher chapter and how he completely mailed it in at A&M. The nugget about how he would only watch highlights and not full game film of recruits was nuts

-the Jimmy Sexton chapter and how powerful he is. Schools are scared of firing his clients because it might be harder to get a replacement

-the kid agent working with Jaden Rashada

[Andrew Epperson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book about modern college football and NIL. I’m convinced more than ever that greed, money, and ineptitude are the three major themes that run college football. The stress of it all is pushing out great coaches, loosening the bonds between players and universities, and stealing away a sport many of us are passionate about.
I enjoyed reading about the big-named coaches like Saban and Jimbo, how pre-NIL player payments permeated the SEC, the history of increased player rights, and where we could be headed. Clearly, a contract system and program salary caps are necessary to even the playing field, but we could be heading to a major conference breakaway. The NCAA may not exist relatively soon.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, although the book isn't quite as broad as I would have hoped based on the title. While there is a little bit of back story, this is mostly just following a few coaches and programs across the 2023 season. I still enjoyed it.

Regarding the audiobook: Will Damron handles the narration generally pretty well, but he really needs a producer or someone to catch his mispronunciations. He mispronounced all kinds of names throughout the book who are often mentioned in soundbytes and therefore easy to confirm, such as Ira Schoffel, Pete Nakos, and at least one other I forgot but noted that it was a little baffling. Good presentation, but it would be nice if the production team had done their homework a little better.

[David Petersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well written and with great detail and depth of the current insanity of College Football. It all comes down to money. I really enjoyed such an inside look of the game and some of the biggest players including Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher, Kirby Smart, Jim Harbough and others. Explanations of the Name, Image, and Likeness and more shakers and movers in the College world. Truly fascinating. Conference Realignment, Coaching carousels and overall insanity of the sport so many of us love. Lots of quotes and interviews that included foul language but other than that I really enjoyed the book.

[Morgan B · Rating 3 out of 5]

~3.5- A book that covers the madness of NIL, the transfer portal, and the conference consolidation in the NCAA thru a series of short stories similar in style to Michael Lewis’s book “Boomerang”.

Parts of it were great but it dragged on too long and also strangely missed two of the biggest facets of NIL: 1)there is now an entirely new wave of specialized coaches like Deion Sanders who are thriving in this marketing first world (he is not in the book at all) and 2) the stories on how athletes like Caitlin Clark are using NIL brand deals to advance their sports is completely missed amongst the bizarre number of chapters I’d describe as basically “accounting and spreadsheet debates”.

[Chris Garth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Congrats to the authors for presenting a powerful argument for the potential ruin of College Football. Their efforts to tell the tale of the past five years deserves admiration for thoroughness, though it also should earn criticism for its myopia. There is great effort to place the leadership of the current path of the NCAA in the hands of the SEC. However, not enough it’s done to call out the selfishness and desire for immediate gratification that has lead to the rule breaking , cheating, win at all cost culture which is at the heart of all things football. The most important story in this entire book are in the chapters about the University of Maryland which is the example for the great majority of NCAA schools and where the real danger of the current system is shown.

[Mitchell Northam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeply reported snapshot of the current state of college football, profiling some of the most interesting and powerful names in the sport, from Nick Saban to Mike Locksley to super agent Jimmy Sexton, to a talented high school quarterback in California to an SMU student turned NIL deal-broker to a University of Arizona president. The authors address and dive into all the big issues happening on and off the field and how it’s shaping decisions in the game today. This seems like the proper sequel to “Death to the BCS” and is an essential read for college football fans.

[Sean Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s ok I guess. Bunch of lore about college football and sKaNsElOuS stories, which is sort of entertaining if you’re interested in the subject, which I am - and I didn’t know very much about it before. Each chapter is a lil mini story like dat. Some are better and more compelling than others. It’s stupidly organized, why did the pepper the Jim harbaugh stuff all over the book, that was so stupid. Wouldn’t recommend it probably, very similar to playmakers, the other football book I read this year.

[Sara Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dnf because I had to return to library, but I thought it was interesting. Perhaps I just hadn’t gotten far enough in but while the case studies did show examples of corruption among NIL and CFB it felt like the author did not make over-arching connections of how those little things add up to our current system. Yes, one can make that conclusion on their own but presenting it as only examples makes it seem like the focus of money could easily be reversed. Idk! Still really interesting and better than being mansplained to about these topics irl

[Will Cowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remarkably thorough overview of an extremely complex and comprehensive change in college football, as a newer fan it can be hard to keep the names straight or to understand the implied impact or some of the individuals involved. That said, you come to understand who the players are, the prices they’ve paid, and the real tragedies that continue to unfold as the rich continue to wrestle each other for money at the expense of players and coaches alike. Insightful and entertaining.

[Chase Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had many interesting stories about college football’s leading figures, but it lacked flow tying one story to the next - often feeling like it jumped from one idea to another. It’s a good read for an average college football fan, but not that helpful in identifying key issues and solutions for the current NIL problems in NCAA athletics.

[Blaine Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first scattershot, but what other way does one explain the ruinous lack of guidance or regulation of NIL than a set of stories from 2022 through 2024 that actually paints a picture of a sport that’s no longer what it was? In an exhaustively researched look at NIL, coaches, players, conferences, TV rights, and the NCAA, this book is insightful and fascinating.