Senators voted 74-24 to take up the college sports bill. Will the Senate pass the Protect College Sports Act before Oct 1?
53% of users predicted YES — the community got this one right. 15 predictions cast.
The Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act by a bipartisan vote of 77-22 on September 28, 2026, days after voting 74-24 to begin debate on the bill, according to ESPN and NPR. The legislation, authored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., grants the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption so it can enforce rules on athlete pay, transfers and eligibility that have repeatedly been challenged in court following the shift to name, image and likeness compensation. Under the bill, athletes would be limited to one penalty-free transfer during their college career and would have a five-year window to compete, beginning at enrollment or age 19.
The bill passed before the question's September 30 deadline but still requires House approval; the House was in recess until November, leaving the legislation's path to becoming law unresolved at the time of Senate passage. The community predicted this correctly but narrowly, with only 53 percent of forecasters expecting Senate passage before October 1, reflecting uncertainty about floor scheduling amid competing legislative priorities.