A bipartisan bill from U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) known as the Protect College Sports Act looks unlikely to reach the Senate floor ahead of the August recess due to a lack of support from the two biggest conferences in college athletics.

Both the SEC and the Big 10, as well as individual institutions within each conference expressed opposition to the bill. While there has been discussion between the power brokers in each conference and lawmakers this week regarding certain language in the bill, it does not appear an agreement was able to be reached.

“Big Ten and SEC officials who spoke to [YahooSports] still hold concerns over language in the associated entity provision,” Ross Dellenger wrote on X. “They believe it does not close the cap circumvention loophole of schools using [multimedia rights]/sponsors.”

A Senate staff member told @YahooSports that if the SEC and Big Ten choose today not to support the bill and “punt to September,” that the leagues “will have to find new senators.”

It is an indication that Sens. Ted Cruz, Maria Cantwell and Eric Schmitt are on their last gasp.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 30, 2026

According to ESPN, the U.S. Senate adjourned for the week on Thursday without scheduling a vote for the bill, making the chances of a vote happening before the August 7 recess slim to none.

The Senate has adjourned for the week. Majority Leader John Thune did not file cloture for the Protect College Sports Act. The bill’s chances of a vote next week are slim now. The legislation remains in dire position ahead of a monthlong Senate recess beginning next Friday. https://t.co/0r110iDsE6

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 30, 2026

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) had a much narrower version of the bill — the Student-Athlete Act. The bill would have addressed eligibility and transfer issues, but there remains no clear path to a vote as leadership instead focused on the PCSA.

What exactly this means for the future of college athletics looks unclear, but it does seem like a much narrower bill is going to be needed down the line in order to garner support from the two biggest decision makers in college sports.

Everyone wants these issues addressed, but not everyone agrees on the best way to approach them considering the wide sweeping bill.

Unfortunately for fans who hoped for some resolution within college athletics, legislation coming before the start of college football season appears to be extremely unlikely.