🐫 What Day Is It? Yep, hump day.

🔈 What We’re Hearing. “There will come a point when every college football fan will decide if they've had enough — if the sport has drifted too far from its golden days to enjoy any longer. That day came for boxing and horse racing.”

🎶 Your Morning Pick Me Up. September. Earth, Wind & Fire

“You ever read a college sports headline in the year 2026, step back for a second, and think, How did we get here?

» Court Awareness. “In the same way that you can pinpoint the exact moment when a tight football game reaches its apex — inside two minutes, fourth down, trailing team deep in the leading team's territory — you can sense that we're at the hinge point for all of the courtroom- and congressionally incited madness of the past few years.”

» Why It Matters. “As we saw with NIL, when outside institutions start taking a hard look at the way colleges do business, the entire superstructure is in real danger of collapse. The games would continue, the band would keep playing, but the idea that college football could devolve and dissolve into a collection of disconnected leagues, much like minor-league baseball, isn't as far-fetched as you might think.”

» Worth Noting. “You can trace all of the "How-did-we-get-to-the-point-wheres" to the tsunami of revenue rolling into the sport, money that effectively obliterates decades of tradition. Every time Money and Tradition collide, Money wins in a five-touchdown rout. But nobody roots for Money. Every single grubby money-grab, every tacky justification, every courtroom filing only tarnishes the game a little more.”

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“After warring with President Donald Trump for more than 20 months, Senate Democrats are considering a high-profile bipartisan deal with him that would reshape college sports.

Their party is in a tricky spot on the subject. The Democratic coalition is fractured over the legislation championed by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. — the AFL-CIO, NAACP, and Congressional Black Caucus oppose it, raising questions about its ability to clear the narrowly divided House even if it can pass the Senate.

But historically Black athletic conferences support the bill, as does the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the United Negro College Fund, and college sports’ power conferences. If that’s enough to get the Senate Democratic votes needed to pass it, Republicans can claim a high-profile bipartisan victory just weeks before the midterms.”

» Court Awareness. “The sweeping bill shepherded by Cantwell and Cruz would formalize so-called NIL rules, which govern student-athletes’ moneymaking abilities while enrolled; place some restrictions on overall spending on athlete salaries; restrict conference realignment; limit transfers for athletes; and allow pooled media rights.”

» Yes, But. “Privately, some Democrats believe they could craft an even better college sports bill if they retake one or both chambers of Congress next year.”

» Why It Matters. “Some Democrats believe they may never get a better deal than this one.”

“The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced today that its Presidents Council has approved Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Minnesota Morris as affiliate members in men's and women's swimming & diving, beginning with the 2026-27 academic year.

The addition of Illinois Tech and UMN Morris expands the conference's men's and women's swimming & diving membership to five programs, providing additional opportunities for conference championship participation. These two will join Coe College, Loras College, and Nebraska Wesleyan University from the A-R-C at the 2027 championship. Central College will be the sixth program beginning in the 2027-28 academic year.”

» What They’re Saying. “Welcoming Illinois Tech and the University of Minnesota Morris as the American Rivers Conference’s first affiliate members is a historic and meaningful moment for our conference," said Marie Stroman, A-R-C Commissioner. “Affiliate membership gives the A-R-C a thoughtful way to build competitive opportunities while remaining grounded in what defines our conference: achievement rallied by community. As our first affiliate members, Illinois Tech and Minnesota Morris help put an important strategic priority into action by strengthening the competitive environment for men’s and women’s swimming & diving and enhancing the experience for every student-athlete involved.”

» Football. “The nationally televised Secretaries' Cup rivalry between the United States Merchant Marine Academy and the United States Coast Guard Academy will continue to be showcased on ESPN networks through 2030 following a new five-year media rights agreement between ESPN and the two academies.”

» Women’s Wrestling. “A $1 million commitment from Bob Ortenzio ’79 to endow the women’s wrestling head coaching position will provide lasting leadership for one of Gettysburg College’s newest sports. This endowment will expand opportunities for student-athletes and help the College build a nationally competitive program grounded in ambition, stability, and long-term support.”

» Basketball. “For the first time in conference history, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championships will move from a member institution’s campus to a neutral site as Shreveport-Bossier prepares to host the tournament at Brookshire Grocery Arena.”

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