Here is the latest ACC 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.
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Tech coach Brent Key is embracing the challenge after starting the season 0-2. His team lost to Colorado and Tennessee, but Key is focused on improving each week. He emphasizes that early season identity doesn’t define the whole year. Last season, Georgia Tech started 8-0 but lost four of the final five games. Key has now lost five straight games, but he remains committed to his coaching philosophy. With a new quarterback, Alberto Mendoza, Key is confident in the team’s potential. He stresses learning from each game and maintaining a week-by-week mindset.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State has fired athletics director Michael Alford. He had been the school’s athletics director since January 2022 after he was hired in the fall of 2020 to be the president of Seminole Boosters, Inc. School president Dr. Richard McCullough says “Michael Alford has served the University and our student-athletes with dedication, and we thank him for his contributions to our athletics programs.” McCullough appointed Bruce Warwick, currently senior associate athletics director, to serve as interim athletics director. There will be a national search for Alford’s replacement.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville coach Pat Kelsey has added another fifth-year player to the roster with forward LJ Wells now available this season for the Cardinals. Kelsey says he is friends with Northern Kentucky coach Darrin Horn, who gushes about Wells’ character, work ethic and coachability. Wells spent the past four seasons at Northern Kentucky and started 33 games as a senior averaging 15 points and 7.3 rebounds. The Cardinals also have guard Seth Trimble, who transferred from North Carolina for a fifth season. Trimble and Wells both are among a group of athletes who sought the right to play a fifth season from a Kentucky county court.
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.
