The Players Era Festival was built for the NIL era. Even as college athletics turns to revenue-sharing to build rosters, NIL still plays an important financial function. This Feast Week event is a pay-for-play tournament that could end up killing Feast Week.

The first Players Era Festival brought eight teams to Las Vegas to compete for a $1 million grand prize. Oregon defeated Alabama by two in the championship, giving the Ducks’ players a million bucks to split in NIL money.

The first event was such a hit, they more than doubled the size of the 2025 Players Era Festival. This year, 18 teams will compete for the grand prize. Alabama, Auburn, Houston, Kansas, Tennessee, and St. John’s are among the teams who will spend a week in Vegas.

As the event grows, other prestigious events are losing their luster. The Maui Invitational is still a desired destination for college basketball teams. For a long time, the Battle 4 Atlantis played second fiddle, with loaded fields playing in the Bahamas. Vanderbilt and Saint Mary’s are the biggest names in the 2025 event. It may not last another year.

Jon Rothstein reports that the Players Era Festival will expand to 32 teams in 2026. Why play in the Bahamas when you can give your team a chance to win $1 million? Feast Week is being swallowed up by the Players Era Festival.

Will Kentucky be in the Players Era Festival?

It feels like deja vu all over again for Kentucky basketball fans. The PK80 brought Nike’s best to Eugene to compete in a Feast Week tournament. John Calipari was not a fan of tournaments that forced Kentucky to play on back-to-back days. Instead of playing in that event, Kentucky filled up its non-conference schedule with other neutral site matchups.

That scheduling philosophy could not be erased overnight. Kentucky is contractually locked into multiple non-conference games for the foreseeable future, making a trip to the 32-team Players Era Festival in 2026 unlikely.

The CBS Sports Classic received a breath of fresh air when St. John’s replaced UCLA. It will be an exciting matchup between Mark Pop and Rick Pitino in Atlanta, but the Cats still have to play in the event next season against North Carolina.

In addition to the Champions Classic and the rivalry game with Louisville, Kentucky has two more high-profile non-conference games on the 2026 schedule. Gonzaga will travel to Rupp Arena in the fifth matchup of a six-year series. The rivalry with Indiana will be renewed in December in the first game of a four-year series. The Hoosiers and the Cats will face off at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2026.

The Players Era Festival is becoming the biggest event in college basketball outside of the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky is ubiquitous with the best of college basketball, but it’s hard to see a scenario where they’re involved in this exciting tournament anytime soon.