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What is the Protect College Sports Act?

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The Protect College Sports Act is a proposed law that is currently under consideration by the U.S. Congress. It was passed by the Senate, 77–22, on September 28, 2026, but is expected to face substantial scrutiny in the House of Representatives. The bill attempts to address several issues of concern in college sports in the United States. These include:

  • Payments to college athletes. The bill would raise the annual amount that schools are allowed to directly pay athletes but also implement stronger enforcement mechanisms that would prevent schools from exceeding that limit.
  • Transfer portal rules. The bill would allow student athletes to transfer once in their college careers without affecting their eligibility and limit their eligibility window to five years.
  • Conference realignment. The bill would try to discourage schools from changing conferences and constrain the size of large conferences such as the Big Ten and the SEC.