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The U.S. Senate cleared the first procedural hurdle for the Protect College Sports Act in a 74-24 vote, initiating a four-stage voting process ahead of a targeted final chamber vote next week. Although the House of Representatives plans to break for recess, Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO) expect the chamber to pass the bill before the Nov. 3 midterms, aided by outreach from President Donald Trump. Opposition to the bill focused on Section 205, which caps power conference membership at 19 programs and enforces a five-year independent probationary period for schools moving between power leagues. Senators Ashley Moody (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Rand Paul (R-KY) cast the sole Republican votes against the measure, while Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) opposed granting antitrust protections to the NCAA without establishing collective bargaining rights, calling the bill “unjust,” and one Senate staffer tells Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger: "Republican senators who would normally be inclined to support this bill are now withholding support due to the provision basically locking schools into conferences for eternity. It could possibly tank the bill." (link)

The NCAA has launched a new video entitled “Sorry to Interrupt,” featuring various DI student-athletes asking viewers to call their U.S. Senators to advocate for passage of the Protect College Sports Act. (link)

NAACP President/CEO Derrick Johnson sharply criticized the Protect College Sports Act during his appearance on SportsCenter, rejecting arguments about college athletics’ instability and accusing power conferences of attempting to restrict athlete rights as player earning power expands. Here’s what he had to say…

As ESPN faces a decision on whether to preemptively purchase expanded media rights for a potential 24-team College Football Playoff or allow the additional inventory to hit the open market, Sport & State's Clay Travis explains that rights for the expanded inventory require a floor of $300M and likely $500M in new annual value to compensate conferences—pushing the total CFP package to $1.8B per year. Meanwhile, tech platforms like Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and YouTube are looming as potential open-market bidders, and Travis reports: “In talking with a variety of sports media figures, Amazon is the name that keeps coming up. There’s a belief that Amazon may really want in on the College Football Playoff. If they do, $500M a year is a rounding error to a company of Amazon’s size. But there are complexities here. How much more difficult are ad sales when the playoff is split up and how much more difficult is promotion? Is it better to have a playoff entirely under one media outlet’s roof or would multiple outlets help juice interest?” (link)

MoffettNathanson Principal Michael Nathanson joined The Varsity podcast with Puck's John Ourand to discuss the ongoing fragmentation of live sports streaming and the necessity of unified aggregation platforms for consumers. Here’s what you need to know…

Western Michigan has reached the final stages of its AD search, per CollegeAD, which reports three finalists are scheduled to participate in on-campus interviews this week. (link)

The FCS Championship Committee has set its 11-member roster of ADs tasked with selecting and seeding the 24-team FCS playoff bracket for the 2026 season. Per Sam Herder Sports, Holy Cross AD Kit Hughes will serve as committee chair with Montana State AD Leon Costello as vice chair. The full committee includes Albany AD Mark Benson, Princeton AD John Mack, North Dakota AD Bill Chaves, LIU AD Elliott Charles, Southeast Missouri State AD Brady Barke, St. Thomas AD Phil Esten, Tennessee Tech AD Casey Fox, East Texas A&M AD Jim Curry and North Alabama AD Josh Looney. (link)

Utah and Minnesota debuted the first corporate branding on the back of football helmets this season, securing deals with Alkeme and Visible, respectively. SBJ’s Irving Mejia-Hilario points out the helmet placements arrive as multimedia rights partners navigate a sudden influx of newly approved commercial inventory and Playfly President of Sports Properties Christy Hedgpeth cautions against prematurely bundling the new assets at a discount and explained how the helmet space still delivers for sponsors: "From a prestige standpoint, I actually think it’s fairly comparable [to jersey patches]. It’s attached to an athlete. Something that is a brand that is touching the athlete, something they’re wearing, I think is incredibly valuable from a perception standpoint and what it means. It’s saying we’re sort of part of the team, part of the student-athletes as a brand." (link)

On3’s Brett McMurphy reports that Tony the Tiger will no longer be title sponsor for Sun Bowl and Cheez-It no longer title sponsor of Citrus Bowl. (link)

College football’s fan-experience arms race is shifting away from simple amenity additions and toward managing game day as a sophisticated consumer product, according to a new College.town analysis of 47 programs' 2026 announcements. To directly combat the appeal of the living room, athletic departments are aggressively prioritizing friction reduction, utilizing high-capacity tech like Open Gate screening and AI concierges, while rolling out value-driven concession pricing. Simultaneously, schools are professionalizing their game presentation and creating new revenue streams by monetizing exclusive access over traditional luxury suites. Ultimately, administrators are leaning heavily on post-game surveys and operational data to continuously measure, test, and refine the stadium environment. Here’s the whole report. (link)

UT Arlington unveiled its vision for the future during the 2026 Maverick Blueprint, an event that brought together university leaders, coaches, student-athletes, alumni, donors, and community leaders from across Arlington. The department’s blueprint is based on four key pillars: Student-Athlete Nutrition, Championship Facilities, NIL and Revenue Sharing, and Scholarships. To get the initiative rolling, UTA alumnus Mike Baylor made a $100K contribution. The Mavericks hope to raise $1M in the next few months. (link)

Missouri alumnus Thomas P. Botts and his wife, Libbie Rice, have made a “transformative” gift to name the university’s indoor track in honor of his late grandfather, legendary Mizzou Track & Field HC Tom Botts, who led the program from 1947-72. The track will be christened as The Coach Tom Botts Indoor Track. (link)

Georgia Southern extends its partnership with Collegiate Sports Connect to gain access to the company’s Talent Finder, Talent Benchmarking and Coach Intel administrator tools. (link)

Syracuse shows off its new field hockey AstroTurf playing surface, as well as the student-athletes’ reactions. (link)

Connecticut reportedly plans to use 6.5 acres on UConn’s Depot Campus for a new men’s golf facility that will include room for a new building, a chipping and putting area and a single unlit driving range, per the Daily Campus student newspaper. (link)

The Knight Commission recognized the Metro Conference and the Southern Conference as C.A.R.E Champions for the third consecutive year, netting each athletic department a $5K grant. Meanwhile, the America East Conference, Patriot League, and Summit League continue as C.A.R.E. Champions for the second year and will each receive a $10K grant. Champions are chosen by meeting the criteria required for connecting athletics revenues with the educational model of college sports. (link)

ABC’s broadcast of Ohio State-Texas led Week 2 college football viewership with 13.99M viewers, peaking at 16.4M to mark the most-watched Week 2 game on record. Oklahoma-Michigan ranked second with 8.22M viewers on Fox, followed by Alabama-Kentucky with 7.28M on ABC, Missouri-Kansas with 3.09M on Fox, and Arizona-BYU with 3.01M on Fox. Additionally, ABC drew 2.53M viewers for Arizona State-Texas A&M, while ESPN generated 2.14M for Oklahoma State-Oregon (and 945K on ESPN2), 1.80M for Tennessee-Georgia Tech, and 1.04M for Arkansas-Utah, along with 859K viewers for UCF-Pittsburgh on ESPN2. (link)

The CLARITY Act has failed to garner the necessary 60 votes to pass a procedural motion in the Senate, opening a path for lawmakers to now turn their attention to the Protect College Sports Act, per Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, who adds: “A PCSA whip count earlier today generated positive feedback for support.” The Senate is currently discussing the legislation ahead of a procedural vote this afternoon. (link, link)

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) had this to say on the Protect College Sports Act, per Semafor Congressional Bureau Chief Burgess Everett: “If my amendments are adopted, I anticipate voting yes.” After receiving some “jeers from the crowd,” Cassidy added: “Just for full disclosure, I think LSU has been the only school in the nation who's been above board on the whole thing. It's the other colleges that we're trying to protect to keep them from doing things wrong. If they could all follow LSU's example, we'd be better off.” (link)   

Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reports the revised legislation features several alterations, including the narrowing of federal preemption, flexibility with pending lawsuits, a transfer portal carveout and contractual protections for College Football Playoff/league TV deals. More details from Dellenger…

University of North Carolina System leaders are considering establishing limits on institutional subsidies as intercollegiate athletics expenses continue to escalate, per WRAL News’ Brian Murphy. Student fees, campus institutional support and state sports betting tax revenue currently account for roughly 36% of funding across the system. However, reliance varies significantly between Power 4 institutions such as North Carolina ($188M FY25 budget, $15M deficit) and NC State ($141.5M budget), where subsidies make up 11% of revenue, and smaller programs like Elizabeth City State (DII) ($4.1M expenses), where government and student support fund almost the entire operating budget. While UNC and NC State students pay $279 and $232 annually in athletics fees, respectively, students at the remaining 13 institutions pay between $773 [East Carolina] and $906 [UNC Asheville] per year. UNC Board of Governors: "A single board policy governs a $640M-a-year enterprise spanning Power 4 ACC football and Division II programs smaller than one coach’s salary. One size will not fit all — guardrails will need tiers, just as our programs have them." More, including proposed 2026-27 student fee rates. (link, link)

The MAC will move to a nine-game conference football slate, starting with the 2028 campaign. The league will continue working with membership to develop the new scheduling model, including future opponent rotations and considerations related to competitive balance, geographic rivalries, travel and home-game opportunities. (link)

The Ivy League inks a three-year agreement to hold its annual men’s and women’s basketball tournaments at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa., the home venue of the American Hockey League’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, in 2028, 2029 and 2030. (link) 

Oklahoma agrees to a multi-year partnership with Nextep that will feature the human resources service provider’s logo on the Lloyd Noble Center playing surface during all OU men’s and women’s basketball home games, beginning this season. Additionally, as part of the deal, Nextep will support Sooner student-athletes through brand collaborations and original content. Learfield’s Sooner Sports Properties collaborated in brokering the agreement. (link) 

Louisville inks a multi-year deal with blockchain solutions provider Ripple to feature the XRP cryptocurrency logo on Denny Crum Court for every UofL men’s and women’s basketball home game. Beyond the hardwood, XRP logos will appear on TV-visible courtside signage and additional in-venue branding and promotions throughout the KFC Yum! Center. (link) 

Xavier secures a sponsorship to have 1N5 serve as the official uniform patch partner of Musketeers Athletics. Through the deal, the mental health awareness and suicide prevention non-profit’s logo will begin appearing this fall on game uniforms for the school’s intercollegiate teams. (link)

UCLA agrees to a multi-year deal to make JLab the Official Headphone Sponsor of UCLA football and UCLA men’s and women’s basketball, starting this fall. The deal includes branding on all coaches’ headsets, while select Bruin student-athletes were also included in this year’s JLab Playmakers NIL roster. The partnership was developed in collaboration with JMI Sports’ Rose Bowl Properties. (link)

Georgia Tech has received a $5M gift from the Brad and Christy Carroll Family Foundation to benefit multiple sports programs, the Full Steam Ahead initiative and the AD’s Initiative Fund. (link)

Missouri announces the reception of a philanthropic gift from Mizzou alumnus Thomas P. Botts and wife, Libbie Rice, that will result in the university’s indoor track being named in honor of his late grandfather, longtime Mizzou track and field coach Tom Botts. (link)

Marquette brought in $21.8M in fundraising support during FY26 from more than 9K donors. That total included 25 gifts of $100K or more as well as nearly $600K raised from 1,400-plus donors during the university’s annual Give Marquette Day. Commitments to the men's basketball excellence fund climbed by 130%, while Olympic sport programs experienced a 112% increase in philanthropic giving. A particular spotlight for the Golden Eagles this past year was men's soccer, which grew 686% in gift commitments and registered a 285% increase in donors. Support for athletics also contributed to Marquette's overall FY26 philanthropic success — a record-setting year for donor participation and the university's fifth consecutive year surpassing $100M raised. (link) 

Big 12 Assoc. Commissioner/Chief Basketball Officer Brian Thornton chats with CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander about the league’s hoops aspirations. With the expanded tournament, Thornton’s goal is to have 10 teams in the field each year. To assist in that goal, the conference brought in ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi to present to coaches the value of the Wins Above Bubble metric. Thornton: “If you want to increase that WAB number, you need to have more teams in the 200 NET instead of 300 NET. Almost getting rid of Quad 5 games, so to speak.” The league will continue to play its 2027 conference tournament on hardwood, but is open to returning to the LED glass floor in the future. Thornton: “We learned, one, it's in line with who we are as a league that we're willing to take big swings, try new things. And we also have learned that in spite of it maybe not working out the way we anticipated, it probably still is the wave of the future. … I think you'll find that when we're playing on an interactive court down the road ... we'll get to a point where it's a better surface for the student-athletes, the officials, etc.” (link)

The NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS and their respective players' unions have dispatched a joint letter to gambling regulators across 35 states and the District of Columbia, proposing lifetime sportsbook bans for individuals who harass or threaten athletes, coaches, officials, team personnel or their families. Per ESPN’s David Purdum, the leagues and unions are seeking the establishment of a streamlined reporting mechanism, building on existing policies in Louisiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Wyoming, allowing evidence of threats to be transmitted to regulators and law enforcement with violators placed on a sportsbook exclusion list that’s shared among states. The unified push follows high-profile incidents such as overseas betting threats against former Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers and comes as gambling operators DraftKings and Fanatics partner with Integrity Compliance 360 to deploy AI-driven abuse tracking technology. IC360 Co-Founder/Co-CEO Scott Sadin: “Threats and harassment in sports continue to escalate, threatening the safety of participants and the integrity of the ecosystem. True progress requires a unified response where leagues, operators, regulators and technology partners align around solutions to safeguard stakeholders across every touchpoint." (link)

Prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket Global generated $14.1B in combined contract volume over September 7-13, a 9.3% week-over-week increase driven by the start of the NFL regular season, major college football matchups, the US Open and upcoming Federal Reserve interest rate decisions. Kalshi maintained its market dominance by registering $12.98B in weekly contract volume (92.1% market share), while Polymarket Global generated $1.11B (7.9% market share), alongside $818.52M in volume from Polymarket US. Sports trading accounted for $3.76B in combined volume across both platforms, with Kalshi's top college football markets featuring Ohio State vs. Texas ($51.91M), SMU vs. Florida State ($39.85M), and Louisville vs. Ole Miss ($28.44M). Multi-leg Kalshi "combo" contracts surged 11.1% from the previous week to $1.93B, representing 99.4% of all multi-leg market activity, while Polymarket Global saw an expansion in esports trading as League of Legends playoff matches generated over $38.74M in volume. (link)

People & Places…
➤ Oregon AD Rob Mullens will replace Indiana AD Scott Dolson on the DI Baseball Oversight Committee, per D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers. (link)
➤ Missouri welcomes Stanford Executive Assoc. AD for Sport Administration/SWA Angie Jabir as Deputy AD for Olympic Sport Leadership/SWA. (link)
➤ Virginia Tech taps Florida Atlantic Senior Assoc. AD for Facilities and Event Management Chris Ryder as Executive Assoc. AD for Capital Projects, Facilities and Operations. (link)
➤ Saint Joseph’s elevates Executive Senior Assoc. AD for External Operations & High Performance Dr. Eric Laudano to Asst. VP/COO. In his new role, Laudano will oversee the daily operations of the athletics department, including health and performance, game operations, facilities management, external operations and campus recreation. (link)
➤ CSMG announces a new strategic partnership with Cadence Solutions Partners and appoints FanSaves Co-Founder/COO Kris McCarthy as VP of Sponsorship Sales. (link)

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(NEW!) Asst AD - Digital Marketing and Revenue Strategy (University of California – San Diego / La Jolla, CA): The University of California San Diego is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Asst AD - Digital Marketing and Revenue Strategy. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Athletic Event & Facility Operations Specialist (Fort Hays State University / Hays, KS): The Athletic Events and Facilities Specialist assists with maintaining & preparing facilities to ensure a safe, clean, & professional environment for student-athletes, staff, & spectators. (DII)  More details HERE.

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Deputy Athletic Director (University of Washington / Seattle, US): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Seattle? Click HERE.

Data Analyst I (University of Alabama / Tuscaloosa, AL): More details HERE.

Assistant or Associate Athletic Director, Business Operations/SWA (Sacred Heart University / Fairfield, CT): More details HERE.

Assistant Director for Business Services (University of Connecticut / Storrs Mansfield, CT): More details HERE.

Assistant Rowing Coach (Merrimack College / North Andover, MA): More details HERE.

Director of Operations for Swim & Dive (University of Nebraska / Lincoln, NE): More details HERE

Assistant Softball Coach - Outfield (University of Northern Iowa / Cedar Falls, IA): More details HERE.

Assistant Coach, Women's Basketball (Babson College / Wellesley, MA): (DIII) More details HERE.

Director of Athletic Multimedia (Virginia Military Institute – VMI / Lexington, VA): More details HERE.

Sports Information Director (University of Alabama at Birmingham / Birmingham, AL): More details HERE.

Sports Information Director (Virginia Military Institute – VMI / Lexington, VA): More details HERE.

Associate Commissioner for Strategic Communications (Southeastern Conference / Birmingham, AL): More details HERE.

Director of Marketing, Athletics (Villanova University / Villanova, PA): More details HERE.

Associate Director of Marketing & Fan Experience (University of Mississippi / Oxford, MS): More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Athletics Communication (University of Illinois / Champaign/Urbana, IL): More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Bronco Productions (Boise State University / Boise, ID): More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Creative Services (Revenue and Supportive Content) (University of San Diego / San Diego, CA): More details HERE.

Sr. Manager, Engagement (Hurricane Club) (University of Miami / Miami, FL): More details HERE.

Manager, Digital Strategy (University of Miami) (Legends / Coral Gables, FL): More details HERE.

Director / Digital Marketing & Revenue (Virginia Tech / Blacksburg, VA): More details HERE.

Assistant Director/Associate Director - Athletic Communications (Auburn University / Auburn, AL): More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Sports Communications (Boise State University / Boise, ID): More details HERE.

Compliance Coordinator, Athletics (Kennesaw State University / Kennesaw, GA): More details HERE.

NIL Operations Director (University of Minnesota / Minneapolis, MN): More details HERE.

Director - Premium Seating & Gifts (Athletics) (Georgia Tech / Atlanta, GA): More details HERE.

Development Officer/Senior Development Officer - Athletics (Bucknell University / Lewisburg, PA): More details HERE.

Assistant/Associate Athletic Director, Development (University of Memphis / Memphis, TN): More details HERE.

Assistant/Associate Athletic Director, Annual Fund & Women Sport Initiatives (University of Memphis / Memphis, TN): More details HERE.

Member Services Internship (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill / Chapel Hill, NC): More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Revenue Enhancement (Kennesaw State University / Kennesaw, GA): More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director, Annual Giving and Premium Seating (University of Colorado – Boulder / Boulder, CO): More details HERE.

Associate AD for Development (HR title: Director of Strategic Development) - (DEA00000505) (Southern Methodist University – SMU / Dallas, TX): More details HERE.

Director of Annual Giving (HR Title: Mngr, Athletics Development) - (DEA00000507) (Southern Methodist University – SMU / Dallas, TX): More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director, Development (Butler University / Indianapolis, IN): More details HERE.

Deputy Athletic Director (University of Washington / Seattle, US): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Seattle? Click HERE.

Senior Associate Commissioner for Basketball (Big South Conference / Charlotte, NC): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Charlotte? Click HERE.

Athletics Shipping & Receiving Technician (University of Oklahoma / Norman, OK): More details HERE.

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Associate Athletic Trainer (Central Michigan University / Mount Pleasant, MI): More details HERE.

Fellow Athletic Trainer - Baseball (Mississippi State University / Starkville, MS): More details HERE.

Assistant Director - Licensing (University Athletic Association, Inc. at the University of Florida / Gainesville, FL): More details HERE.

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