As rumors that the Protect College Sports Act could eventually make it to the floor of the Senate later this week, some changes to the language would put Notre Dame very much in the driver’s seat. That’s a big change from the version that had been the bill until this week, when the Fighting Irish were essentially locked in to staying independent, even if something drastically changed in the future and they wanted to join a conference.
Among the changes being discussed that appear to be gaining support, decision-makers and lawmakers are discussing edits to the Protect College Sports Act that would cap the number of teams in the Power Four conferences at 19 or 20. With both the SEC and the Big Ten sitting at 18 teams now, it’s clear that the cap is designed to keep either from becoming a “super league.”
Even if a conference is under the cap, the bill would also force any Power 4 team that wants to jump ship and go to another conference to be independent for a minimum of five years. The big difference with those conference teams and Notre Dame is that the Irish and UCONN could join a power conference right away, as they’re already not affiliated with a conference.
Under the bill that many college sources said needed tweaking, Notre Dame would have been blocked from joining a power conference at all. While that isn’t a concern at the moment as the Irish are perfectly happy on their own, the economics of college sports have changed immensely over the last few years, and it’s possible that in the next decade or so, independent teams will be a thing of the past.
Proposed 19-team conference cap gives Notre Dame a realignment advantage
The new language in the bill removes the biggest hurdle to Notre Dame continuing to be one of the most powerful programs in the country. In the conference realignment arms race, the Irish have long been the biggest prize left standing. That prize becomes a bit bigger considering it might be the last addition either the Big Ten or SEC could make.
It’s worth noting that even while there seems to be some momentum for Protect College Sports in this new and improved form, there are plenty of roadblocks that could still stop it from passing at all.
According to CBS Sports, the bill: “Passed the Senate Commerce Committee on a 19-9 bipartisan vote last month and has drawn support from 24 conferences, 267 colleges and universities, and the NFL. But it passed without the backing of the two conferences whose buy-in may ultimately determine whether the bill can survive the floor.”
For now, both the Big Ten and SEC are more amenable to the cap and waiting period than to the first pass at this kind of language, but there are other things both of the most powerful conferences want included that critics have said would continue to give them outsized levels of power.
Should the Protect College Sports Act pass anywhere near what this new language shows, Notre Dame would be a big winner, and if nothing else, it appears to be clear of the danger the previous movement clauses allowed.
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