After voting to send the Protect College Sports Act to the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) sounded the alarm on the future of a handful of Texas institutions, including Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech.
Cruz, a key supporter of the proposed bill, which would implement a five-year eligibility timeline and a one-time transfer rule, among other provisions, provided his thoughts on the future of Texas, specifically in an excerpt shared by Ross Dellenger.
Cruz certainly comes off a bit hyperbolic with his response here.
The two largest alumni bases in the Lone Star State belong to Texas and A&M, and it’s safe to say Texas Tech, even in the Brendan Sorsby fallout, will continue its role atop the Big 12’s football prowess this fall. TCU is coming off a 9-4 season, and Baylor, while winning just five games last year, could certainly step forward, and Dave Aranda saves his job after all.
But the idea that any of these three programs are in financial danger without the passage of this bill is just silly. The problems felt by the current Wild West are felt by a lot of states, not just Texas and its B-tier football schools. Houston, a school with legitimate NIL pitfalls, has all the momentum it could ask for behind Willie Fritz entering the upcoming season.
When this Protect College Sports bill hits the Senate for a vote next month, it undoubtedly means good news for these three schools, and Cruz is right to fight for it. They’re part of his constituency, too, and the bill brings real change to a system chugging along on fumes while suits squabble over TV rights and who gets what.
College football, though, is an institution to be preserved, and the bill accomplishes much-needed change regarding eligibility, recruiting, integrity, and long-term survival of the Power Four model.
