ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) 鈥 A lawmaker sponsoring a key piece of federal college sports legislation says he believes the bill likely has the support it needs to make it through the upper chamber. Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri said he thinks the Protect College Sports Act probably has the 60 votes it needs to pass the Senate. Schmitt called the next two weeks critical for the Protect College Sports Act. He said leaders from the Southeastern and Big Ten Conferences, both of which oppose the bill as it is written, have met with the top sponsors to negotiate changes in the bill in an effort to gather their support.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) 鈥 North Carolina coach Bill Belichick is hoping his Tar Heels benefit from lessons learned and more stability from his first college season. The Tar Heels won just four games under the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach. Belichick said Friday during the Atlantic Coast Conference's preseason football media days that 鈥渆very week is a learning experience for me" in trying to improve the program. Belichick noted the Tar Heels were 鈥渓iterally starting from scratch鈥 last year but are "above that now for sure' with holdovers from last year and more new players arriving in time for spring practices.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) 鈥 SMU coach Rhett Lashlee congratulated Duke on winning the 2025 ACC championship and believes they should have made the College Football Playoff over Sun Belt champion James Madison. Lashlee praises Duke's performance in a competitive league and argues they deserved a playoff spot. Duke beat Virginia in the ACC title game but was left out of the 12-team playoff. Duke coach Manny Diaz still feels the sting of being left out, emphasizing that ACC champions should automatically qualify for the playoffs. Diaz criticizes the current system as a "beauty pageant."
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) 鈥 Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has accused Ole Miss of recruiting tampering to lure linebacker Luke Ferrelli. Sweeney says he provided evidence yet hasn't heard back from the NCAA. Swinney suggested the only way college football can withstand enduring 鈥渞ampant鈥 tampering is with help from Congress. Swinney suggested fines, suspensions and even firings should all be considered to discourage tampering while speaking at the ACC Kickoff.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) 鈥 Virginia Tech is counting on James Franklin to boost its football program. But that's also part of a larger push to elevate Hokies athletics overall. The school hired Franklin late last year after his firing from Penn State. That came less than two years after he led the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Hokies have spent the past year implementing numerous changes to raise more money and invest more in their sports programs. Those changes have included the hiring of Brian White as Virginia Tech's new athletic director last month.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) 鈥 Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips looks at corporate sponsorships as a way for his league's schools to boost their bottom lines. In an interview with The Associated Press, Phillips said at least some of the ACC's financial gains in recent years have come through increased emphasis on finding corporate sponsorship revenue. The league is generating record revenue totals but is continuing to chase more revenue streams while facing a significant gap behind the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference. Phillips said the corporate sponsorships add up to supplement the money coming primarily from the ACC's media rights deal with ESPN.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) 鈥 The Atlantic Coast Conference is revamping the tiebreaker format for its football championship game following a controversial finish last season that allowed a five-loss Duke team to reach the title game over then No. 10-ranked Miami. That put the Hurricanes at risk of not making the College Football Playoff. When head-to-head competition cannot separate tied teams, the team with the strongest overall body of work will earn the opportunity to compete for the ACC championship and the conference鈥檚 automatic qualifier to the College Football Playoff. ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips says that will be based on a SportSource Analytics metric used by the CFP.
DALLAS (AP) 鈥 SMU has launched a Heisman Trophy campaign for senior quarterback Kevin Jennings. The school is also putting his name on a new recovery center in its football complex. The third-year hometown starting quarterback, who led the Mustangs to the College Football Playoff two seasons ago, is believed to be the first current player to have an area on campus named for him while still active in his college career. The Kevin Jennings Recovery Center will include two dedicated spaces with state-of-the-art equipment for physical and mental recovery. SMU says the recovery center inspired by Jennings鈥 vision was made possible by financial support from alumni.