The Big Ten is drawing a financial line in the sand before the federal government does it for them.
On Wednesday, the conference announced a $49 million NIL spending cap for all member schools, effective immediately. The move is built to track with the Protect College Sports Act, the bill still waiting on a House vote, and it gives Big Ten programs a clearer budget target even as the legislation remains in limbo.
That $49 million figure is split into two pieces. One is the $21.6 million revenue-sharing cap established by the House settlement. The other is a $27.5 million limit on third-party NIL spending, including collectives.
"While we await the passage of the Protect College Sports Act, which has our full support, it is imperative our member institutions can begin to plan, budget and build their rosters approximating the act's economic structure," the Big Ten council of chancellors said in a statement. "Our institutions remain in full support of the Protect College Sports Act and this rule not only allows for a much smoother transition into the policies put in place by the act once it passes, but demonstrates our commitment to it."
If the Protect College Sports Act eventually becomes law, schools would be allowed to spend about $50 million on athlete payments, though the structure would be more layered. The House settlement money would stay in place, but athletic departments could also tap a retention fund worth as much as $22.5 million to help keep players from leaving through the transfer portal. Another $5 million would be set aside specifically for women’s and Olympic sports.
For now, the Big Ten is giving its schools a framework to work from as they look ahead to 2027 and beyond.
The conference’s new number also lands in a very real spending landscape. According to CBS Sports, Oregon and Ohio State are already spending more than $40 million on football alone this year, while Michigan and USC are close behind and nearing that same mark.
The legislation the Big Ten is modeling itself after still has a long way to go. The House of Representatives is on recess through the midterm elections on Tuesday and is set to return on Nov.
- A vote could come after that, but the bill’s path gets trickier in a lame-duck session, and the real cutoff is Jan. 3, when a new Congress is sworn in.
If the bill is still not law by then, it resets.
"I'm not sure what the fight is going to be like in lame duck as they try to push this over the edge, especially if the House switches from Republican to Democrat," Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), an opponent of the bill, told CBS Sports. "Democrats should have a chance to really author a bill that corrects for a lot of the failings in this bill."
There are still other obstacles besides the calendar. Some Republicans want the bill to bar athletes from being classified as employees, while others are pushing for a hard limit on international athletes in college sports.
If lawmakers alter the bill at this stage, it would have to go back to the Senate for another vote, which would make an already difficult route even steeper.
In Other News...
Iowa State Heads Into A More Complicated Baylor Trip Than Expected
Iowa States trip to Waco just got a little more complicated than the schedule alone suggested. Baylor fired head coach Dave Aranda after its loss to Kansas, and Joe Klanderman is now serving as the Bears acting head coach as the Cyclones prepare for a road game that already carried plenty of weight in the Big 12 race.
The conference announced Iowa State will face Baylor at McLane Stadium with an 11:00 a.m. CT kickoff on FS1, adding an early start to a matchup that has often been tight. The series history is close, with Baylor holding a 12-11 edge, and the coaching change only adds another layer to a game Iowa State now has to prepare for with a different feel than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Answered A Bad Loss In The Wildest Way Possible
After a rough loss, Iowa State got the kind of response every team wants but almost never gets: a chaotic, back-and-forth win that seemed to change shape every few minutes. The Cyclones and Oklahoma State traded momentum throughout a game packed with lead changes, onside kick recoveries and long touchdown drives, with Aiden Flora and Jaylen Raynor helping keep Iowa State in the fight offensively.
Kyle Konrardy ended up delivering the finish with a late field goal after Raynor helped set up the final drive, giving the Cyclones a hard-earned escape in a game that never settled down. Drew Mestermaker kept Oklahoma State dangerous with multiple touchdown passes, but Iowa State found just enough answers in the closing stretch to turn a frustrating week into a much-needed reset. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Showed Something Fans Needed To See In Big 12 Chaos
In a game that felt like it was being played at full speed from the opening snap, Iowa State found a way to steady itself when the chaos peaked. Kyle Konrardy drilled a 34-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Cyclones past Oklahoma State, 51-49, in a matchup where both offenses kept trading blows and neither side seemed willing to blink.
The win mattered not just because it came down to the final kick, but because Iowa State kept its poise while Oklahoma State handed over chances with penalties and miscues. In a Big 12 race that can turn messy in a hurry, the Cyclones came away with a result that should resonate with fans looking for a team that can survive a shootout and still finish the job. [Read more 🡒]