Here is the latest Big Ten Conference sports news from The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislation to broadly regulate college sports has cleared a first major hurdle in the Senate. The Senate voted Tuesday to consider the bill, a significant step forward as senators from both parties have made the legislation a priority. The bill aims to put guardrails around escalating spending in college sports as the industry struggles to adapt to a new model in which schools can pay players. Major conferences, Senate leadership and President Donald Trump have backed the bipartisan bill. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz of Texas said the bill aims to quell “the chaos we have in college sports.”
UNDATED (AP) — The Senate is moving closer to passing a bill that could transform college sports. This week, senators voted 74-24 to advance The Protect College Sports Act, which would change how colleges pay athletes and limit legal battles. The bill proposes revenue sharing, allowing schools to share up to 22% of certain revenue with athletes. It also includes a $27.5 million retention pool to keep players on rosters. The bill aims to preempt conflicting state laws and limit athletes to one free transfer. Additionally, it would ban coaches from switching schools mid-season and restrict conference expansions.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former Southern California basketball player Chad Baker-Mazara is suing the university and coach Eric Musselman after being dismissed from the team in March. The lawsuit was filed Monday. It claims Musselman removed Baker-Mazara to avoid paying the remainder of his NIL contract. It also alleges Musselman made racially charged remarks after a loss to Nebraska. Baker-Mazara accuses USC of breach of contract and other offenses. USC says the dismissal was unrelated to race and plans to contest the lawsuit. Baker-Mazara was a key player for the Trojans and says he received no reason for his dismissal.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Coach Ryan Day might have been understating things slightly when he said there’s a lot that comes with a loss at Ohio State. Last Saturday’s historic fourth-quarter collapse by the Buckeyes in their 24-23 loss at Texas has brought angst and second-guessing usually reserved for losses to arch-rival Michigan. Day spent Tuesday’s news conference going through the post-mortem after experiencing only his second setback in 27 games in September while trying to outline his hopes of preventing the loss from snowballing and impacting the rest of the season. Day says “the last couple of days haven’t been fun around here.”
UNDATED (AP) — One look at the newest members of the Big Ten’s head coaching fraternity reveals two distinct schools of thought regarding hiring strategies. Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State chose coaches with at least a decade of Power Four head coaching experience. UCLA went in a different direction. The contrasting approaches show a range of opinions on how much experience matters. Nebraska’s Matt Rhule believes schools may be more concerned about what players a new coach can bring with him. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti orchestrated his stunning turnaround with help from 13 of his former James Madison players.
UNDATED (AP) — Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker is The Associated Press national college football player of the week for his performance in a 39-31 upset of Oregon. Mestemaker set the tone with a 75-yard run on the first play from scrimmage and provided the game’s highlight with a high-flying dive into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. He finished with a career-high 109 rushing yards, passed for 317 and had a hand in three touchdowns as the Cowboys won as 24 1/2-point underdogs. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith caught eight passes for 164 yards against Texas and is runner-up.
UNDATED (AP) — The Big Ten faced a tough Week 2 in college football, with Ohio State losing a 20-point lead to Texas and Oregon getting upset by Oklahoma State. The conference lost six of eight games against Power Four opponents. Meanwhile, the SEC won five of seven nonconference games, including two against the Big Ten. Texas’s comeback over Ohio State and Oregon’s struggles were major talking points. Oregon’s loss dropped the Ducks from No. 6 to No. 21 in the AP poll. Michigan and Iowa managed wins, but the Big Ten’s overall performance raised concerns about its strength this season.
UNDATED (AP) — Six of the 12 teams in the College Football Playoff would be from the Southeastern Conference and two of the four first-round games would be all-SEC matchups based on The Associated Press Top 25 poll. Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame and Indiana would be the top four seeds. First-round games would be No. 9 seed Texas A&M at No. 8 Mississippi, No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Miami, No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 LSU and No. 11 BYU at No. 6 Ohio State.
