The Protect College Sports Act is facing big hurdles to Senate passage in the closing weeks of the current legislative session.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., are working to win support from the Big Ten and the SEC for the legislation to set national rules for college athletes, coaches, and the sports system, according to Semafor.

The two conferences remain skeptical of the senators' latest rewrite, complicating efforts to break a filibuster in the Senate.

Cruz told Semafor, "This bill accomplishes a great deal of what they and every other commissioner have been asking Congress to accomplish."

He said his conversations with Big Ten and SEC leaders "were very positive," adding, "I have also spoken to many of the member schools of the SEC and Big Ten."

Cruz wants to finalize a deal before the college sports season begins in late August.

The Big Ten and SEC are open to a deal but remain concerned that the bill puts them at risk for state-level litigation and lacks sufficient antitrust protection, according to a summary of their concerns obtained by Semafor.

"I don't think we have another year to waste. We're seeing irreparable damage," Cruz said.

"My hope is that the president will sign this into law before this school year starts, so that this upcoming season no longer has to go through the chaos that is doing so much damage to the athletes, to the schools, to the conferences, and to the fans."

The bill would preserve student athletes' ability to make endorsement money, limit transfers and eligibility, let colleges pool media rights, regulate agents, and prevent football coaches from leaving midseason, per Semafor's reporting.

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said he's withholding his support "until Chairman Cruz and others involved can find a way forward that would satisfy the Big Ten."

A Big Ten spokesperson said the conference's position has not changed. "We still do not support the bill in its current form but continue to engage with the bill's sponsors and other legislative partners in an effort to make improvements."

Donde Plowman, chancellor of the University of Tennessee and chair of the SEC's presidents and chancellors, called the current system "unsustainable" and praised the bill's limits on transfers and eligibility.

Cruz, in a July 16 post on X, said the legislation is "about restoring order to college athletics and securing its future for the student athletes, the schools, and the fans."

He added that the bill "includes a provision dedicated to preserving the historic rivalry games that generations of fans have cherished."