The Big Ten announced on Wednesday that all of its member institutions will operate under a $49 million cap on NIL spending, a rule that takes effect immediately. The conference said the limit is built to resemble the one laid out in the Protect College Sports Act, legislation that has not yet become law.
The policy divides spending into two categories. The first is the revenue-sharing cap established by the House settlement, which totals $21.6 million. The second is a $27.5 million limit on third-party NIL spending, a category that includes collectives.
In a statement, the Big Ten council of chancellors said that while schools await passage of the act, which the conference fully supports, it is "imperative our member institutions can begin to plan, budget and build their rosters approximating the act's economic structure." The council added that the rule should make the move to the act's policies smoother once it passes and shows the conference's commitment to the bill.
Under the Protect College Sports Act itself, schools could spend roughly $50 million on athlete payments, though with conditions. The House settlement amount would stay the same. Athletic departments could also draw on a retention fund of up to $22.5 million meant to keep players on their current rosters and slow the frenzy in the transfer portal. A further $5 million would be set aside specifically for women's and Olympic sports.
With the bill's future in doubt, the Big Ten rule at least gives its schools a framework for financial planning in 2027 and beyond. The $49 million figure carries weight, according to CBS Sports, because Oregon and Ohio State are already above that mark on football alone this year. Michigan and USC are not far behind, approaching $40 million.
The path for the bill remains unclear. The House of Representatives is on recess through the midterm elections, which take place on Tuesday, and will return on Nov. 9. The act could then go to a vote, but there are questions about whether it can succeed in a lame-duck session. The practical deadline is Jan. 3, when a new Congress is sworn in. Any bill that has not become law by then dies and must restart the process.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), an opponent of the bill, told CBS Sports he is unsure what the fight will look like in a lame-duck session, particularly if control of the House shifts from Republican to Democratic. "Democrats should have a chance to really author a bill that corrects for a lot of the failings in this bill," he said.
Proposed changes pose another threat. A segment of congressional Republicans wants a ban on classifying athletes as employees, while others want a hard cap on the number of international athletes in college sports. Any amendment at this stage would send the bill back to the Senate for another vote, which would further reduce its already slim chances of becoming law.
