Cruz, Cantwell push college sports bill forward without SEC support

Are you ready for the next game in college sports? With Brendan Sorsby officially leaving Texas Tech for the NFL, the spotlight now shifts back from the Lone Star State courtrooms to Washington, DC, where lawmakers are debating the future of college athletics.

When Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) introduced the bipartisan “Protect College Sports Act” earlier this month, the overwhelming thought process centered around the federal government finally presenting legislation that would satisfy both sides of the aisle, along with those in college athletics.

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But as we’ve seen over the past few weeks, there’s plenty of pushback or fiddling going on that has leaders of the SEC and Big Ten jockeying for position.

Would congressional leaders yield to the ideas presented by both conferences that would ultimately lead to their support? Or would Cruz and Cantwell push forward with their legislation without leaders from both power conferences essentially throwing their support behind the bill?

That question was answered Monday night when a revised bill was obtained by Pakinomist, as there was little pivot to the “Protect College Sports Act” that would lead them to believe the recommendations of the SEC and Big Ten were fully integrated into the new plan.

Senators advance without SEC and Big Ten changes

Going into the “markup” phase of the bill, which will take place starting Tuesday night, there was no departure from the media pooling unfairness aspect of the legislation.

The revised version of the bill would still allow football teams at the FBS level to voluntarily bundle their media rights into one large package if 75% of the teams agree to the action.

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That leaves the SEC and Big Ten still serving on the case, with Commissioner Greg Sankey mentioning in a letter to the presidents and chancellors last week that this could still lead to courtroom battles.

“The media pooling, as written, exposes the SEC to potential lawsuits forcing the conference into media pooling practices…It forces the SEC and Big Ten to either play intraconference postseason tournaments or play only other non-pooling conferences or universities in the postseason to replace the CFP (College Football Playoff)”

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks during a roundtable discussion on college sports in the East Room of the White House on March 6, 2026, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick looks on. The Trump administration hosted the event, titled “Saving College Sports,” with executives from the Power Four conferences, media executives and former coaches. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Yes, this is a holdup for both conferences to get behind this aspect of the bill, although it wouldn’t be the wisest move for either to break away and form their own postseason, at least in the eyes of the fans.

Then there was also a bone of contention over the “private right of action” aspect of the legislation, which would allow athletes to take their own schools to court over rules that would be enforceable within the bill. And for that matter, the legislation does not have a review of that section, which the SEC stressed is too broad, allowing for more battles within state courts.

Much-needed detour for Olympic and women’s sports in legislation

But there was a change in legislation that many in the college athletics community were vocal about moving. In the previous version of the bill, Olympic sports and women’s sports were linked to those who choose to pool their media rights into one pool. Basically, schools couldn’t cut certain sports on a whim for revenue reasons.

Now, all schools that report revenue of at least $80 million per year will academic year, under the bill be required to retain the minimum number of roster spots for each sport, which also gives peace of mind to the athletic programs that are in the “large size” category. Like when Arkansas decided to cut its tennis program last month, which was then revived by donors who came to their rescue at the last minute to keep the sport alive in Fayetteville.

Big Ten Conference Commissioner Tony Petitti speaks during the 2025 Big Ten Football Media Days at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., on July 22, 2025. (Louis Grasse/Getty Images)

It is obvious that lawmakers are not worried about appeasing member institutions from the SEC and Big Ten in hopes of passing this bill. In reality, you’re not going to make everyone happy, so the thought of giving in to the demands of the two biggest conferences in college sports is clearly not a roadblock for now.

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Of course, this could change over the coming days as the amendments are voted on. But that would mean rocking the boat with congressional leaders from states outside the SEC and Big Ten boundaries. Sens. Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell want to see this bill passed, and even received vocal support from NCAA President Charlie Baker last week amid the Brendan Sorsby debate.

There will be a lot of discussion over the next few weeks, and a lot of negotiation about what can be added or subtracted from the legislation to get this off the Senate floor and into the House.

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But time is ticking. With an August congressional recess looming, we’re about to find out just how much power two of the biggest conferences in college athletics have over federal law.

Here we go, the “Protect College Sports Act” is officially on the clock.