Here is the latest Big 12 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.
LONDON (AP) — Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham doesn’t love that Kansas got some extra time to rest and prepare for their historic game at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. The Jayhawks played a home game last Friday night and lost to Missouri while the Sun Devils lost to Texas A&M the next day at College Station. Dillingham says there’s an “unwritten rule” that teams playing internationally should play on the same day in the week before the trip. This is the first time Wembley is hosting bigtime college football and organizers of the Union Jack Classic plan to make it an annual event.
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.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III is expected to miss several weeks with a hamstring injury after leaving the Knights’ game late in the 12-7 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday. Coach Scott Frost described the injury as “fairly significant.” Barnett likely will miss several weeks, including this Saturday’s home game against Georgia State and the Big 12 opener Sept. 26 against TCU. Senior Keyone Jenkins is expected to start for the Knights on Saturday.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — U.S. Solheim Cup captain Angela Stanford has taken a position as an assistant women’s golf coach at her alma mater, TCU, following the Americans’ loss to Europe in the biennial team competition. TCU said Monday that Stanford would be an assistant to Angie Ravaioli-Larkin, who was her head coach when she was a standout player for the Horned Frogs from 1996-2000. Stanford played on the LPGA Tour from 2001-24, winning seven times, including a major title at the 2018 Evian Championship. The Big 12 Conference school’s announcement came a day after Europe reclaimed the Solheim Cup with a 15-13 win in the Netherlands.
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.
