College sports has officially become an economic arms race, with schools trying to find any way possible to raise NIL cash.

Well credit Duke, because on the hoops front they are one step ahead of everyone else.

That’s because on Thursday, they announced they have signed an exclusive deal with Amazon Prime, to televise three marquee out of conference games. The matchups:

While this might not feel “landmark” to some, it is game-changing in that the Blue Devils are the first team to exclusively sell their rights to a streamer, outside of traditional conference TV deals.

According to CBS’s Matt Norlander, Duke’s opponents are set to make a minimum of $500,000 for their part. The Blue Devils meanwhile will make millions, between broadcasting fees, but also unique NIL opportunities for players.

It truly is a ground-breaking and revolutionary opportunity, and one that - thanks to the Duke brand - may have really only been available to them.

The question: What does everyone else do to keep up?

Chalk this up to a headline you would’ve never expected a few years ago: Kirby Smart says he believes that the Big Ten has officially surpassed the SEC.

With the Big Ten coming off three straight national championships, Smart admitted what the rest of college football fans have accepted: Everything doesn’t start and end in the SEC anymore.

Here’s what he said to “Next Round Live” on Thursday:

"I just think they have a more competitive conference," Kirby Smart told Next Round Live. "Like at the top of their conference, there is more good teams. It used to be, eh Ohio State was good, or Michigan was really good. Harbaugh had a really good team. Indiana is good. Then they've got Oregon. They have the ability to attract good players.

"Now, NIL has a factor too. But so does Miami. People have money, more people have money. So I think the talent is spread out thin, where before in the SEC, it was a magnet to talent. The disparity was so great that you couldn't mess it up. You could win regardless. Now it's like okay, it's more even and it's just been three in a row."

You can listen to the full interview below:

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