The latest and “most notable possible changes” to the Protect College Sports Act would “alter the all-important athlete compensation framework by providing schools with more flexible spending,” according to sources cited by Ross Dellenger of YAHOO SPORTS. This would include a “proposed idea to establish a separate pool of money for schools to use to retain current athletes on their rosters.” That pool would be in addition to the $21.3M revenue-share cap for the 2026-27 academic year. Other ideas under discussion “include a general increase in the cap itself and the addition of a sort-of luxury tax on over-spenders.” But negotiations persist and the idea of a “separate retention pool is gaining momentum from some.” Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz said, “It gives you the ability to recruit and retain your current roster, which is better than just going out into the portal and having the most money in the marketplace.” According to the latest conversations, schools would have available to them $20M-$30M for retaining players -- a figure that “when combined with the traditional cap provides schools with a total cap” of $40M-$50M for all of their athletes. This “aligns more with the current spending in the market.” However, “not everyone believes that such cap changes can be made without a formal approval process as outlined in the NCAA’s House settlement agreement” (YAHOO SPORTS, 7/20).
BLOCKING MOVES: CBSSPORTS.com’s Brandon Marcello cited sources saying that decision-makers and lawmakers are discussing edits to the Protect College Sports Act that would “cap the number of teams in the Power Four conferences at 19 or 20 and create a structured path for schools to switch conferences.” Sources mentioned that Republicans proposed a “20-team cap for conferences.” The Big Ten and SEC have “objected to the portion of the bill that would effectively freeze Power Four membership.” The initial language in the bill would have “prevented a merger between the two conferences to form a super league,” and updated language would “bar any conference reporting $700 million or more in revenue from merging with, acquiring or absorbing another conference or its membership.” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said, “When I first read it, it’s like, ‘Why is that even in there?’” The new proposal would “allow conferences to expand, but any Power Four program seeking to switch conferences would first have to spend at least five years as an independent.” The waiting period is “designed to slow change and limit the seismic shifts that have reshaped college football over the past decade.” But sources added that there are two exceptions: Notre Dame and UConn “could join a Power Four conference immediately because they are already independent.” Under the current bill’s language, Notre Dame would “have been blocked from joining a power conference” (CBSSPORTS.com, 7/21).
