Yes, the last few months have seen several federal attempts to reshape the landscape of college athletics, the latest being the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act. And, as is often the case with anything new, opinions have been flying. Nick Saban appears to support the proposal, while Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua offered a more nuanced perspective in his evaluation. While he was skeptical about the lack of an enforceable revenue-sharing cap, he also insisted on maintaining Notre Dame’s independence. That’s when the Illinois head coach hit the nail on the head with a simple solution.

“Some guys really like to talk about something that could happen and who they might play… Actually, it’s pretty easy, just join a conference 🤷‍♂️👊🤷‍♂️,” Bret Bielema wrote on his X on Thursday, June 4, resharing Bevacqua’s hearing speech.

The Cruz-Cantwell bill allows college athletics conferences to pool their broadcasting rights to generate larger media payouts. It could help preserve historic rivalries and bring financial stability to college sports. However, Bevacqua testified that forcing schools to “stub deals” and pool their rights before current contracts expire would backfire.

Given that major conferences like the SEC and Big Ten have long-term media contracts that run through the mid-2030s, doing so could force them to take a financial step backward. This is where the Notre Dame AD suggested the “super league” concept as a way to maximize media rights revenue, though he made it clear that he does not want to create one.

“I think you would take 24 to 30 teams, create unbelievably competitive scheduling where a team like Notre Dame would play Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, and start to get a number that more closely resembles an NFL number,” Bevacqua said at the Senate Commerce Committee hearing on June 3. “I could be right, I could be wrong, but that’s why I was encouraged that it’s a voluntary application.”

“If you want to truly maximize the media value around the largest sport in terms of eyeballs, which is college football, I do think the best way to do that is a super league. And I certainly don’t want a Super League. And I’m not sure anybody necessarily wants a super league. Flooding the market, aggregating the market, bringing it to an aggregate form to major media companies—I’m not sure that’s going to drive the value some say it will,” the Notre Dame AD added.

The Irish AD is trying to keep its historic freedom and pace with massive media revenue. But Bielema directly suggests Notre Dame join the ACC or B1G if they want high-value matchups and stable media rights revenue. Joining a conference would require Notre Dame to pool its standalone TV deal with NBC with those of other member schools. It could also limit the program’s freedom to play a nationwide schedule.

That’s why Notre Dame’s AD insists on remaining independent, while also asking Congress to pass a law that would prevent the school from being forced into a corner.

According to Senator Ted Cruz, one of the reasons the proposed legislation exists is that he wants to prevent any possibility of the SEC and Big Ten breaking away to form their own super league. And it could very well happen, given that voices within the SEC have already expressed an interest in breaking free.

Right now, the SEC and Big Ten function like super leagues, and the Irish are trying to take advantage of that position by remaining outside a conference. But the Irish AD’s complaints regarding college athletics’ chaotic landscape weren’t limited to media rights.

The Notre Dame AD’s concerns

Pete Bevacqua warned that if CFB roster spending continues to escalate without any federal boundaries, it can lead to destructive outcomes. According to him, turning CFB into a mini-NFL can ruin the college sports spirit.

“If you continue to have all of your resources pooled into football with escalating roster fees and not knowing where that ends, I believe the inevitable outcome is there’s going to be a small handful of schools that will differentiate themselves from others and play football at a super league level,” the 55-year-old said. “I don’t think it’s good for college football to be a mini-NFL. That’s not the spirit of college football.”

It also kills funding for Olympic and women’s sports. The Irish AD even complained that the current revenue-sharing cap is too low. Raising the cap will allow schools to pay student-athletes transparently. That’s why he made a plea to Congress to step in and establish a national guideline so that NIL and transfers can be controlled, which will eventually help independent schools like Notre Dame and mid-tier universities from being priced out.

However, Illinois’ head coach is not buying the Notre Dame AD’s media rights concerns. While many big names in college football support the Cruz-Cantwell bill, Paul Finebaum doesn’t have much faith.