WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislation to broadly regulate college sports has cleared a first major hurdle in the Senate. The Senate voted Tuesday to consider the bill, a significant step forward as senators from both parties have made the legislation a priority. The bill aims to put guardrails around escalating spending in college sports as the industry struggles to adapt to a new model in which schools can pay players. Major conferences, Senate leadership and President Donald Trump have backed the bipartisan bill. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz of Texas said the bill aims to quell “the chaos we have in college sports.”
UNDATED (AP) — The Senate is moving closer to passing a bill that could transform college sports. This week, senators voted 74-24 to advance The Protect College Sports Act, which would change how colleges pay athletes and limit legal battles. The bill proposes revenue sharing, allowing schools to share up to 22% of certain revenue with athletes. It also includes a $27.5 million retention pool to keep players on rosters. The bill aims to preempt conflicting state laws and limit athletes to one free transfer. Additionally, it would ban coaches from switching schools mid-season and restrict conference expansions.
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Ole Miss players say the hype surrounding former coach Lane Kiffin's return to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with LSU this weekend is all anyone they see around Oxford wants to talk about. But they say they're trying to put football first and set aside any relationships with former coaches or teammates who followed Kiffin to LSU. Eight assistants and four support staff, along with four players, chose to switch sides in the historic rivalry this past offseason. They included two defensive starters: end Princewell Umanmielen and linebacker T.J. Dottery. Ole Miss receiver Deuce Alexander says “there’s no bad blood” between former teammates.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas quarterback Arch Manning has apologized for publicly joking about an AI-altered video that depicted Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe in the moments after Texas’ big win over Ohio State. Manning was asked Monday at a news conference if he’d seen any social media posts about the postgame celebration. He mentioned the fake video clip, called it “hilarious” and laughed about it. The comments drew widespread criticism on social media. Manning publicly apologized to Rowe on Tuesday in a statement on Instagram. Rowe posted a note accepting his apology.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea says freshman quarterback Jared Curtis gives the Commodores the best chance to win now and will start Saturday against N.C. State after coming off the bench the first two games. Curtis split snaps with starter Blaze Berlowitz as the Commodores won their first two games. Lea says Curtis has shown enough to give coaches peace of mind that he can win now. Vanderbilt starts a two-game swing through the Southeastern Conference at Auburn on Sept. 26 followed by a trip to No. 2 Georgia on Oct. 3. Curtis flipped his commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt last December.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida has lost six consecutive games away from the friendly confines of the Swamp. It’s a skid the Gators hope to end when they open SEC play at Auburn on Saturday night. It’s a pivotal, early season game for both programs, with Florida’s Jon Sumrall and Auburn’s Alex Golesh looking for a signature win. Florida is a 2 ½-point favorite in a matchup filled with subplots. Sumrall is 0-4 against Auburn, including 0-2 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. He was on the wrong side of lopsided road losses as a Kentucky linebacker in 2004 and as a Kentucky assistant in 2020.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Lane Kiffin says he expects a lot of attention and “hatred” this week as his No. 7 LSU Tigers prepare to visit No. 8 Mississippi on Saturday night. Kiffin says he's heard about safety concerns and that security personnel are planning for that. But Kiffin also says “both sides won” when he left Ole Miss for LSU last year because this week's meeting will be the first since 1962 to kickoff with both teams ranked in the top 10 in the AP poll. Kiffin says he understands the game is unusual because it features a program he spent five years building against a team he's trying to rebuild now.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas has seen the view from No. 1 and knows the fall from the college football summit can be hard. The goal now is to make sure they get more than a fleeting glimpse. Texas moved to No. 1 after a wild 24-23 comeback victory over Ohio State on Saturday. The Longhorns started last season No. 1 but lost their season opener and missed the playoffs. Texas plays UTSA this week before starting Southeastern Conference play Sept. 26 at No. 15 Tennessee.
