What the Big 12 and Pac-12 said after the Protect College Sports Act passed the U.S. Senate Monday night

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The Big 12 logo is displayed on a down marker during the Big 12 championship game between BYU and Texas Tech held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

The Protect College Sports Act cleared a major hurdle late Monday night, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the legislation designed to overhaul college athletics is certain to be passed.

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Far from it.

The PCSA passed a full U.S. Senate vote 77-23 and now heads to the 435-member House of Representatives, where the going figures to be much more difficult for the legislation mainly authored by Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Eric Schmitt and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell.

House members are on break and not scheduled to return until Nov. 9, after the midterm elections, so the bill will not be passed anytime soon.

Still, the Big 12 — which includes BYU and Utah — and the Pac-12, which includes Utah State, issued statements Monday night voicing their support for the PCSA.

Here’s what the Big 12 said:

“We are encouraged by the continued progress of the Protect College Sports Act and appreciate bipartisan leadership of Chairman Cruz, ranking member Cantwell, and others that has moved this effort forward. The legislation provides a more stable national framework for college athletics, incorporates important transparency measures, and moves our industry closer to a sustainable model that supports student-athletes, institutions, conferences and fans.

“The future of college sports depends on our ability to move beyond uncertainty and toward lasting solutions, and the Protect College Sports Act is an important step in that direction. We look forward to working with lawmakers as the process advances.”

Statements made by the SEC and Big Ten on Monday night and the ACC on Tuesday morning were similar to what the Big 12 said.

The Pac-12 took a slightly different approach, and reminded lawmakers that “no conference has navigated more change than the Pac-12” in recent years.

Here’s what the Pac-12, which is not considered a Power Four conference, said:

“Today’s passage of the Protect College Sports Act by the Senate is an impactful next step to achieve comprehensive and critical reform for collegiate athletics and student-athletes.

“The Pac-12 thanks Senators Cantwell, Cruz, Schmitt and (Chris) Coons for their leadership in bringing this legislation forward and for the bipartisan coalition that has advanced the bill. We believed the Act delivers key pillars that our current system has not been able to, including a single national NIL standard, codified protections and benefits for student-athletes, reasonable rules around eligibility and transfers, and a structure that can help sustain Olympics and women’s sports at institutions across the country.

“The Commission on the Future of College Athletics created by the Act also provides the framework to address fundamental issues that require more time and broader collaboration as an industry to thoughtfully evaluate and solve, and, critically, will include the student-athlete voice in these discussions.

“No conference has navigated more change than the Pac-12. We intend to continue to help shape what comes next as the Act continues to progress through Congress.”

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