What the Protect College Sports Act would mean for Colorado and the Big 12

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark speaks at Big 12 Media Days in July (Photo by Zack Woodbury / Sko Buffs Sports)

Over the past year, the NCAA has sought government intervention through legislation to fix its landscape. No, that sentence isn’t a typo. 

The NCAA’s latest attempt to rein in the Pandora’s Box it opened with Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) takes the form of a congressional bill titled the “Protect College Sports Act.” The bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), aims to regulate athlete compensation, coaching changes, conference expansion and Olympic sports. 

The most groundbreaking part of the deal is the $27.5 million that schools would be allotted to retain players, in addition to the existing $21.3 million cap. The idea is that the extra money will replace payments from "associated entities" or third-party collectives that were allowed above the $21.3 million cap. Those payments, many schools complained, obliterated any idea of a cap or controlled cost.

The only problem is that it did not receive a floor vote before the Senate broke for its August recess last weekend. 

The bill was introduced in late May, and it took a while to gain the support of the two biggest conferences: the Big Ten and the SEC. If the bill passes into law, it could determine the future of the Colorado Buffaloes and other Big 12 members. 

The bill's biggest lever for the Big 12 is in its media provisions. Conferences could pool their broadcast rights, using a revenue split so that every member gets at least what it earns now, plus additional amounts tied to on-field performance. Unlike the NFL, college football conferences have their own TV deals, with some larger than others. 

To put this into context, the Big 12 distributed an average of $31.7 million to its members under its ESPN and FOX contracts in 2025. This was nowhere close to the Big Ten's $70 million-plus or the SEC's $68.75 million per school. Having a single TV rights payout, regardless of conference affiliation, would theoretically help Colorado and the rest of the Big 12 compete on a more level financial playing field in revenue sports like football and men’s basketball.

“Clarity on player eligibility and cap intervention are components of the bill that I’m in support of,” Big 12 Conference Commissioner Brett Yormak said when asked about the PCSA in July.

“The bill isn’t perfect, but it will help resolve some of the chaos that’s currently in the system and develop some stability for collegiate athletics going forward,” Yormak continued. 

The player eligibility component Yormak is referring to is the proposed bill limits athletes to one transfer without penalty. This could change Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders’ approach to roster turnover via the portal. 

Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders has built the Buffaloes through the transfer portal. (Photo by Zack Woodbury / Sko Buffs Sports)

“Remember when we first got here, and you guys made a big deal out of the portal? Now everyone's doing it, and I don't see you attack them the same way you attack our program,” Sanders said. “If you do the homework on it, which we've done, I think we're right there with many other schools in the turnover that's forecasted.” 

Notably, Colorado’s 2027 recruiting class has 20 hard commitments, already more than its 2026 high school class. This indicates that Sanders is shifting to prioritize high school recruiting to build a roster. If the PCSA passes, many other Power Four programs are likely to follow suit.

On Washington’s Hill, the midterms are coming, and college sports reform is not at the forefront of a candidate’s campaign. For now, Colorado and the rest of the Big 12 will hope the bill their commissioners spent months lobbying for does not run out of time. Over to you, Congress.