Paul Finebaum eviscerates Sen. Ted Cruz after Big Ten, SEC reject Protect College Sports Act

The Big Ten and SEC rarely agree on anything these days, except when it comes to the latest attempt at governmental regulation of college sports, apparently. The NCAA’s two largest and most lucrative conferences released a joint statement Tuesday afternoon rejecting the new bipartisan “Protect College Sports Act” co-authored by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) last week.

“The Big Ten Conference and the Southeastern Conference support a sustainable national framework for college sports – one with an effective transfer portal, clear eligibility standards, and protections and benefits for student-athletes,” the Big Ten-SEC statement read. “While we appreciate the leadership of Senators Cruz and Cantwell in pursuing these shared goals, we do not support the Protect College Sports Act as drafted.”

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The joint statement comes on the eve of Wednesday morning’s much-anticipated hearing. The Senate Commerce Committee — which Cruz and Cantwell chair — will feature in-person appearances from former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, former West Virginia president Gordon Gee, Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould, and Utah defensive lineman Lance Holtzclaw.

Within minutes of the Big Ten-SEC statement dropping, ESPN firebrand host Paul Finebaum blasted Cruz, the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee and lead author of the bill. Finebaum claimed Cruz was pushing the “Protect College Sports Act” out publicly without first garnering the support of college sports’ two top powers.

“A major fail by Ted Cruz; this clearly shows that he rushed this thing out to get publicity, to get attention,” Finebaum said on Tuesday’s The Paul Finebaum Show on the SEC Network. “And why in the world would you introduce a bill as significant as this is, without getting the support (of the Big Ten and SEC). … It is just slipshod legislating at its worst to introduce a bill without the two biggest guns in the room supporting it. And to have a hearing tomorrow without the support of the SEC, and without having the SEC or the Big Ten commissioners there is really downright legislative malpractice.”

Of course, the joint pushback from the Big Ten and SEC should come as no surprise given some of what’s included in the bill. In fact, the two Power Four leagues took direct aim at several “critical” issues within the bill, including that it effectively grants Congress some decision-making authority over college athletics moving forward. Last week, SEC presidents also pushed back on an optional provision in the bill that would allow FBS conferences to pool media rights if 75% of the NCAA programs agree to it.

“The bill leaves critical issues unresolved. It does not meaningfully preempt the patchwork of state laws or provide the protections needed to make and enforce consistent rules, both essential to long-term stability in college athletics. It also shifts ongoing rulemaking to Congress, limiting the ability to adapt quickly as the landscape evolves,” the joint statement continues. “Rather than reducing litigation, the bill likely expands it without offering clear alternatives for dispute resolution. Finally, the bill alters the House settlement revenue-sharing framework in a way that may result in fewer student-athletes receiving direct revenue share payments.

“We are committed to working with Senators Cruz and Cantwell and other members of Congress to improve this legislation so that it can provide lasting stability for college athletics.”

Sen. Ted Cruz warns hypothetical SEC-Big Ten ‘super league’ would destroy college football

The “Protect College Sports Act” also includes targeted language that restricts the Big Ten and SEC from further expansion. That is especially the case with regard to any potential merger that would create a hypothetical “super league.”

“There’s a provision explicitly in this bill that bans a super league. Look, one of the real risks is the SEC and Big Ten joining together,” Cruz said Thursday on the Andy & Ari On3 podcast. “Now I don’t believe they would success, I actually think they’d lose the antitrust litigation that’d be brought against them if they tried to form a super league. But whether they would win or not, this bill makes clear they cannot merge. Because you’d essentially turn them into the NFL. They’d be the G-League to the NFL.”

As Cruz pointed out, there’s language in the bill that appears to directly target the Big Ten and SEC. Section 206, located on page 108 of the 111-page bill, prohibits “certain” conferences that exceeded $1 billion in total revenue during fiscal year 2025 — the Big Ten and the SEC are the only leagues that qualify — from merging or acquiring new teams from another conference if the acquisition leaves the former conference below the necessary eight-team membership minimum.

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.