Louisiana Voice

By Paul Spillman

College football is about halfway through its regular season schedule and this seems to be a good time to check-in on what’s happening with the state of college athletics.

The most impactful event still pending in college athletics is congressional legislation. The Protect College Sports Act (PCSA) passed the Senate unchanged from its original version before the campaign season recess, with 77 votes in support. But the House has yet to take it up and whether it will in the lame duck session following the midterms is sheer speculation at this point. If it is taken up the bill has a long row to hoe to win enough support and almost certainly will be altered from the Senate version if it does pass.

One of the biggest challenges in the House is the Congressional Black Caucus opposes the PCSA as a matter of conscience in response to recent rulings on voting rights and actions taken by “Republicans” in redistricting. Opposition may also come from other surprising places. The legislation places an onerous burden on any team wishing to leave one conference for another but Miami and Florida State, along with Clemson and North Carolina, have been threatening to leave the ACC for some time over a bad media rights deal the conference is locked in to until the mid 2030s and questionable direction and leadership. Those universities have been lobbying their Representatives in Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina to oppose the PCSA, or at least eliminate the penalties inhibiting realignment.

Various others in the House have at times expressed opposition to virtually every aspect of the PCSA, from its capping of NIL dollars to its restrictions on the hiring of coaches, from its “voluntary” pooling of media rights to its mandatory fund to shore up non-revenue sports.

But more importantly the House is likely to be consumed with other priorities immediately following the midterms. Any reader wondering what those priorities may be is a sweet summer child, may you remain that innocent forever.

Locally LSU men’s basketball is finalizing its roster and R.J. Luis will not be on it. LSU coach Will Wade announced he will not add Luis to the roster in compliance with SEC rules against adding players to the roster who have previously signed with professional teams.

Louisiana AG Liz Murrill recently petitioned a federal court in Alabama to dismiss the SEC’s lawsuit against LSU on the grounds it was now a moot issue but the SEC fired back LSU could still add non-eligible players to its roster. R. J. Luis is the “non-eligible players” the SEC meant. Wade waiting this late to not add Luis to the roster is acknowledgment LSU was once again poking the bear even though Wade insisted his decisions concerning the LSU roster have been out of an abundance of caution against poking the bear.

The interesting thing about that SEC rule is it specifically names the NFL, the NBA, the G League, the WNBA and affiliated organizations as “professional leagues” but is utterly silent on the professionalism of international basketball leagues. Good thing, too. Wade has four international players on his roster, one of whom has already been ruled eligible and Wade has said he “feels good” about the prospects for the other three. Getting everyone LSU has on the roster eligible would likely make LSU basketball a top 25 team, though the carry-over effect of the all the bad press would also sway voters against ranking them.

The eligibility of class of 2022 players granted a fifth year by a federal court in Denver over the summer was reversed by a federal court in Kentucky recently bringing into question whether Skyy Clark and Donovan Dent, former UCLA teammates, would suit up for LSU this season. Dent played in the Tiger’s exhibition game against McNeese. But a pending case in yet another federal court – this one in Ohio – has Wade believing those players will eventually be granted eligibility. That case got a boost from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, proving Jeff Landry isn’t the only governor too invested in good ol’ State U. DeWine released a three-page executive order granting eligibility to class of 2022 players in question and approving Ohio universities enrolling and adding them to rosters, though it did not require schools to do so. It probably has nothing to do with Ohio State wanting to finalize its 15-man roster with a fifth-year returnee, though.

And LSU football? Head coach Lane Kiffin is still an easy target and some lazy media still take the cheap shot at the easy target but for the most part LSU football has slipped out of the news cycle. A loss to Kentucky has left LSU on the outside looking in on the college football playoff. For now. The Tigers have a loaded November schedule hosting Alabama and Texas followed by a road trip to Tennessee. LSU could redeem its season and be back in the mix by Thanksgiving with that three-game stretch as long as they avoid losing to any more teams they’re supposed to beat.

Meanwhile, SEC presidents approved a uniform name, image, and likeness contract framework for member institutions, but tabled a proposed rule to require athletes transferring to another SEC school to sit out one year. University presidents had time to become informed by more rational minds such a rule would have hurt the conference tremendously, especially in football, where the SEC has routinely fielded teams with more NFL-bound talent than any other conference. That rule would have just gifted talented athletes to every other conference in college football.

But the attempt to adopt such a rule is worrisome. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey always seemed to be a step ahead of the game, well-informed on all the angles, providing reasoned arguments for the conference’s positions. But of late Sankey seems to be tilting at windmills while all the choices are being taken from him. Congressional legislation granting an antitrust exemption to the NCAA, regardless of what else does or doesn’t come with it, only ensures the very people who are most responsible for allowing the current circus of college athletics will now rule without challenge. It might appear to be “order.” But it is order as defined by relics of a bygone era. It is the order of restricting player earnings and movement, an “order” for a different time.

Not that long ago Greg Sankey was leading college football forward into a new era, willing to establish a new form of “order” for college sports. Now it seems he’d rather take what Congress gives him and fight with LSU. But that’s the opinion of a writer who would rather see almost any other outcome than Congress creating law to govern college athletics. Congress will be busy enough with other issues after November, and into 2027.