Bipartisan College Sports Bill Aims to Block Super League as SEC, Big Ten Question Media-Rights Provision

" Sankey said the SEC must review "about one dozen big buckets" of issues in the first section of the 111-page bill introduced in Congress the week of May 29. A later section of the bill proposes rewriting a 1961 broadcasting law to allow conferences to pool media rights, though the provision would make pooling voluntary. The SEC and Big Ten both oppose the media-rights pooling idea.

"I really need to see that it's voluntary to understand some components of how that would be treated under different scenarios," Sankey said. He added that rushing to support the bill is not the appropriate position and that it is appropriate to work through the issues. Sen.

Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a sponsor of the bill, has said the legislation would prevent the two largest conferences from forming a super league. " Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua testified at a Senate hearing this week. He said a super league would likely involve around 30 teams and could occur if the biggest conferences keep expanding.

Bevacqua also said he does not think it is good for college football to become a mini-NFL. Sankey noted the irony that merger discussions are occurring at the same time the SEC and Big Ten have not agreed on College Football Playoff expansion. "Tony and I have laughed about that particular reality and the notion that somehow we're going to merge our leagues and have some magical agreement," Sankey said.

Sankey said some action on college sports issues is needed sooner rather than later. He said he appreciated that Cruz and Sen. ) worked together on the bill. The Big 12 and ACC have each expressed support for the bill.

Texas Tech regent Cody Campbell, a proponent of media-rights pooling, said in an interview last week with The Associated Press that he and lawmakers are open to discussing changes. "I think it's very healthy and helpful for people with outside perspectives and without personal agendas to be involved in trying to help solve this problem," Campbell said.