Florida State is making its position plain: the school likes what it’s seeing in the latest version of the Protect College Sports Act, especially the changes tied to conference realignment.
In a statement released Friday morning, FSU thanked Florida Sens. Ashley Moody and Rick Scott for their work on that part of the bill. The university called the legislation “an important step toward restoring order to college athletics,” and said Moody and Scott’s efforts are helping “protect the ability of our Florida universities to compete and succeed in an increasingly dynamic collegiate athletics landscape while advancing much-needed national reforms.”
The updated bill text includes a major shift in how schools would be treated if they leave one conference for another. The earlier five-year independence requirement for departing programs has been cut to three years, and that three-year window would disappear entirely after six years from enactment.
One piece from the earlier version remains unchanged: the 19-school conference cap.
That six-year sunset stands out because it matches the current expiration timeline for the Power Four’s media deals. The Big Ten’s agreement runs through 2030, the Big 12’s through 2031, the SEC’s through 2034 and the ACC’s through 2036.
FSU’s attention to this issue goes back well beyond Friday’s statement. The school has been vocal since its 2023 lawsuit against the ACC over the conference’s grant of rights agreement. That dispute ended in a settlement that reduced Florida State’s exit fee by $18 million annually through the 2029-30 season, with the fee falling to $75 million after that while the school keeps its media rights.
The university’s board has also been openly critical of the earlier realignment language in the bill. During an August Board of Trustees meeting, chairman Peter Collins pushed back on the 19-team cap and the five-year independence requirement, calling them unrealistic.
“We've been pretty vocal on the 19 and the five-year,” Collins said at the time. “I really don't understand the federal government's desire to cap conference sizes.”
At that same meeting, Collins also singled out Moody and Scott for their efforts against those provisions.
The bill has now cleared two of three procedural hurdles in the Senate. It passed Thursday’s vote 77-22, up from Tuesday’s 74-24 result. Another procedural vote could come as soon as Tuesday, and final Senate passage could follow by Thursday of next week.
Both Moody and Scott voted against the bill in both procedural votes this week, which drew public criticism from President Donald Trump on social media.
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