Senate advances Protect College Sports Act with softened realignment rules on September 18, 2026; six-year free-movement window opens around 2032

AFFECTED: Any program six years after the bill's passage can leave a power conference (or any conference with $700 million in annual revenue) for another without serving a mandatory three-year buffer period outside a power conference. SOURCE: Protect College Sports Act, revised September 18, 2026. FULL ADVISORY: https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/conference-realignment-protect-college-sports-act-senate-revision/

The U.S. Senate voted 77-22 on Thursday to advance the Protect College Sports Act toward debate and possible final passage the following week, per CBS Sports reporting. The revised bill text released Thursday night weakens the conference realignment language from an earlier version, opening a six-year window during which power-conference schools can move freely without a waiting period.

The original bill required a school to serve a five-year probationary period as an independent before joining another power conference. The update reduces that to three years as an independent or a member of a conference earning less than $700 million in annual revenue, per CBS Sports. After six years from the bill's passage, the three-year requirement expires entirely, meaning any program reaching that threshold can leave a power conference for another without serving a mandatory buffer period outside a power conference.

If the bill passes the Senate the following week and is signed into law, the realignment landscape reshapes around 2032 or 2033. That timing covers the Big Ten and Big 12 television deal renewals, according to CBS Sports, and arrives before the SEC's agreement expires in 2034. The ACC's current ESPN deal does not expire until 2037. The ACC lowered its exit fee from $165 million to $75 million by 2030, a descending scale that aligns directly with the bill's six-year window.

Conferences remain capped at 19 members, giving the Big Ten room for one more program and the SEC capacity for up to three new members, per CBS Sports. The bill retains a separate, broader prohibition designed to prevent outside investors and private equity groups from building a breakaway super league: nobody can buy up power-conference schools for that purpose. A school that leaves the SEC remains ineligible for such acquisition for five years, and that rule does not sunset.

The bill includes a $22.5 million retention fund for schools, combined with a revenue-sharing cap set at $21.6 million for the 2026-27 academic year. A new condition ties the retention fund to academic performance: schools that miss graduation rate and academic progress benchmarks lose the fund entirely, per CBS Sports.

Additional provisions allow cases involving physical injury, death, or sexual abuse and misconduct to bypass a standard 30-day notice requirement and proceed directly to court. The bill also narrows its preemption of state law, naming only four subjects: student status, academic requirements, professional status, and years of eligibility. A new congressional commission created by the bill takes on the assignment of studying whether athletes should hold financial stakes tied to their program's value.

Floor opposition emerged from Florida Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, who voted against advancing the bill in procedural votes this week, citing concerns from Florida State University and Miami over the conference expansion provisions. On Friday, both FSU and Miami released statements confirming their opposition and thanking the Florida senators, per Front Office Sports. Scott stated: "I believe Congress should ban men from competing in women's sports and create some national standards to end the transfer portal chaos. While this bill makes progress on those issues, it fails to address problems I have heard directly from universities in my state, like disagreements on conference caps, so I couldn't support it." Moody introduced an amendment offering a 180-day grace period from the bill's enactment for schools to notify conferences of intent to leave without the five-year independent requirement, though that amendment did not advance. Sen. Katie Britt, confirmed by Front Office Sports, stated that senators secured the amendment reducing the independent period to three years with the six-year sunset.

President Donald Trump posted a statement pressing the two senators: "The only two Republicans that we lost were, surprisingly, from the Great State of Florida, Ashley Moody and Rick Scott. But I believe they will come along."

House passage faces steeper obstacles. The House will not return to session until after the November midterms, per Front Office Sports, guaranteeing the bill cannot reach the floor before the election. Any consideration would occur during the lame-duck session between elections and the new Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he is interested in moving the legislation forward but may seek changes. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise may harbor concerns tied to his support for the SCORE Act, a more partisan bill offering greater antitrust protections to the NCAA and preventing athletes from being classified as employees, per Front Office Sports.

Opposition has formed from the Congressional Black Caucus, AFL-CIO, and NAACP, according to Front Office Sports. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has previously opposed legislation backed by the SEC. Rep. Lori Trahan, a key strategist against the SCORE Act, is expected to oppose the PCSA in the coming weeks. If the House does not pass the bill by the end of 2026, lawmakers must restart the entire legislative process in the next Congress.