Five weeks to pass, or start over
Tuesday's midterms put a deadline on the Protect College Sports Act. Democrats are projected to win control of both the House and the Senate next year, according to CBS News. The bill cleared the Senate 77-22 on Sep 28 but has never had a House vote. If it isn't law before the new Congress takes over in January, the process starts from the beginning.
That leaves the lame duck: about five weeks of House session starting Monday, with Republicans still in charge by a narrow margin. The hurdles haven't moved. Many House members want the SCORE Act's language keeping athletes from being treated as employees, members from Florida and other states object to the limits on conference membership, and any change sends the bill back to the Senate. And the party taking over in January has supplied much of the House opposition: Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has said he backs the position of the Congressional Black Caucus and the NAACP, both opponents of the bill.
If it dies, a 2027 version would start in a Congress those critics control, though Maria Cantwell, the bill's Democratic co-author, remains the top Democrat on the Senate committee where it began. Until something passes, the House settlement's $21.58 million cap stays the rulebook. The number below shows how far that sits from what schools are estimated to spend on football rosters. All figures as of Nov 4, 2026.
One number
$43.7M
Average estimated football roster spend, top quarter of the Power 4 plus Notre Dame
Pass the bill and a school could pay athletes directly up to $49.08 million a year: today's $21.58 million cap, a $22.5 million retention fund and $5 million tied to women's and Olympic sports. That ceiling sits just above the top quarter's average. Let it die, and the cap stays below the middle program's estimate, $23.1 million. The cap covers direct payments across all sports; our figure estimates football roster spend, outside endorsements excluded. Spend estimates as of Oct 29, 2026.
From the site
Our researched estimate of what each program spends on its football roster, rounded to the nearest quarter million, as of Oct 29. The conference tabs show every program we track.
The 2027 estimate with a range, and a draft call where it is certain. The 2026 numbers stay free. Founding rate: $149 a year, kept while you stay subscribed ($199 after). Reservations close 8 a.m. ET Tuesday, Nov 10.
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Valuations are The NIL Standard's independent estimates.