​With the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act passing through the U.S. Senate’s Commerce Committee via a 19-9 vote on June 18, the bill now is being revised by its co-sponsors, Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) with the possibility of a floor vote before the full Senate in the current working session that extends through Friday, Aug. 7.While the measure faces, at this time pending revisions and additional conversations, staunch opposition from college powerhouse conferences the Big Ten and SEC, the bill has hearty support from the NBA, NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPROGRAM RANKINGS: Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12PATH TO PLAYOFF: Sign up for our college football newsletterThe Protect College Sports Act attempts to tackle fiscal components, such as revenue-sharing and name, image and likeness, as well as athlete mobility, firing and hiring parameters for coaches and conference structures. It also carves out significant language in an attempt to preserve college rivalries and what its sponsors contend are fan-interests.“The Protect College Sports Act is about restoring order to college athletics and securing its future for the student athletes, the schools, and the fans,” Cruz exclusively told USA TODAY Sports via statement. “While there is broad agreement that the current trajectory is unsustainable, far too much of the conversation has centered on conference priorities and television contracts, while overlooking the athletes and fans who fill stadiums and maintain the very heartbeat of college sports.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“That’s why our bipartisan legislation includes a provision dedicated to preserving the historic rivalry games that generations of fans have cherished. These iconic matchups are a defining part of college sports and should endure regardless of conference realignment or changing media agreements.”1 / 30Defensive back Tony-Louis Nkuba #21 of the Arizona State Sun Devils celebrates by jumping into an inflatable bowl of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes after intercepting a pass against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half of the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl game at Sun Bowl Stadium on December 31, 2025 in El Paso, Texas(Sam Wasson, Getty Images)Specifically, the current language of the Protect College Sports Act seeks to “ensure that historic college football matchups are not lost as a result of conference realignment, national scheduling models or changes to media-rights structures.”In layman’s terms, this provision in the bill seeks to help ensure that rivalries such as the Apple Cup – Washington-Washington State, intrastate matchups among Texas universities and even Notre Dame-Southern California are preserved – but is structured that Congress does not get involved in such scheduling matters unless colleges pool their media rights for collective broadcasting negotiations.The bill has strong s