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“The blue wave that hit Capitol Hill could sweep away the Protect College Sports Act.

Massive gains by Democrats in both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections dealt a significant blow to supporters of the wide-ranging, bipartisan bill to bring some of college sports’ most chaotic systems under control, which is backed by President Donald Trump.

For months, polls forecast Republicans to lose control of the House of Representatives.

That was expected, but the huge margins won by Democrats in both the House and Senate make passing the bill during a six-week lame-duck session an even more daunting task than it was when the legislation passed the Senate on Sept. 28.”

» State of Play. “The Athletic spoke to 10 people who have been involved in some way with the PCSA to assess its prospects following the midterm elections, and most agreed with Saunders’ general assessment: The PCSA, which has survived a few near-death experiences to get this far, is definitely not dead, but the odds are stacked against it passing into law.”

» Quotable. “Not acting on the Protect College Sports Act this session would mean not enshrining these transformative student-athlete benefits into federal law, and we will continue to see opportunities for young people to access college sports erode as professionals return to college and steal roster spots from college students,” said Tim Buckley, NCAA senior vice president of external affairs.”

» Reality Check. “If the PCSA doesn’t become law before Democrats assume power in January, the bill is dead. The fact that it passed the Senate is moot. The process would have to restart, with no guarantee lawmakers will want to revisit the issue.”

Rowan finished the 2026 NCAA Division III women’s soccer regular-season with the top NCAA Power Index at 68.514. According to our calculations, the final at-large berth went to No. 36 Middlebury (58.938).

The 64-team tournament bracket will be announced today at 11:30 a.m. EST.

» AQ (43). Marymount (AEC), Simpson (A-R-C), Mary Hardin-Baylor (ASC), PSU Behrend (AMCC), Christopher Newport (C2C), Johns Hopkins (CC), Elmhurst (CCIW), Belhaven (CCS), Hartford (CNE), John Jay (CUNYAC), Nazareth (E8), Rivier (GNAC), Mount St. Joseph (HCAC), Scranton (LAND), Eastern Connecticut (LEC), Vassar (LL), Messiah (MACC), Stevens (MACF), Worcester State (MASCAC), Hope (MIAA), St. Catherine (MIAC), Lawrence (MWC), Husson (NAC), MSOE (NACC), Denison (NCAC), Williams (NESCAC), MIT (NEWMAC), TCNJ (NJAC), Puget Sound (NWC), Ohio Northern (OAC), Washington and Lee (ODAC), Grove City (PAC), Centre (SAA), Concordia TX (SCAC), Cal Lutheran (SCIAC), Mount St. Vincent (SKY), Webster (SLIAC), Cortland (SUNYAC), Chicago (UAA), PSU Harrisburg (UEC), UW-Superior (UMAC), Brevard (USAS), UW-La Crosse (WIAC)

» At-Large (21). Rowan, Washington U., North Central IL, Tufts, Calvin, Batten, Carnegie Mellon, Lynchburg, NYU, Emory, Carleton, Trinity TX, Swarthmore, William Smith, Mary Washington, Hamilton, Bridgewater, Dickinson, Loras, Colby, Middlebury

» First Four Out. Montclair State, Hardin-Simmons, Rochester, York PA

» Conference Call. NESCAC (5), UAA (5), ODAC (4), CC (3), A-R-C (2), C2C (2), CCIW (2), LL (2), MIAA (2), MIAC (2), NJAC (2), SAA (2)

It’s a NESCAC world and the rest are just living in it.

Williams ended the regular season with the top NPI in DIII men’s soccer (63.411) and will be joined in the 64-team championship field by seven other conference members, including Tufts who captured the AQ. According to our calculations, Oneonta gets the final at-large berth with a 56.185 rating to place 33rd.

The men’s bracket will be revealed at 11 a.m. EST.

» AQ (42). Marymount (AEC), PSU Behrend (AMCC), Hardin-Simmons (ASC), Loras (A-R-C), Johns Hopkins (CC), North Park (CCIW), Covenant (CCS), Roger Williams (CNE), John Jay (CUNYAC), Saint Joseph’s ME (GNAC), Geneseo (E8), Transylvania (HCAC), Scranton (LAND), UMass Boston (LEC), Vassar (LL), Neumann (MACC), Stevens (MACF), Salem State (MASCAC), Hope (MIAA), St. Olaf (MIAC), Grinnell (MWC), Thomas (NAC), MSOE (NACC), Denison (NCAC), Tufts (NESCAC), Wheaton MA (NEWMAC), Rowan (NJAC), Whitman (NWC), Ohio Northern (OAC), Lynchburg (ODAC), Allegheny (PAC), Trinity YTX (SAA), Colorado College (SCAC), La Verne (SCIAC), Manhattanville (SKY), Webster (SLIAC), Plattsburgh State (SUNYAC), Case Western Reserve (UAA), PSU Abington (UEC), UW-Superior (UMAC), Southern Virginia (USAS), UW-Eau Claire (WIAC)

» At-Large (22). Williams, Middlebury, Connecticut College, Bowdoin, Hamilton, Amherst, Wesleyan, Montclair State, Chicago, St. Lawrence, Cortland, Southwestern, Messiah, Saint John’s, Kenyon, Carnegie Mellon, Washington and Lee, Babson, Calvin, Hobart, Christopher Newport, Oneonta.

» First Four Out. Bates, Trinity CT, Washington U., TCNJ.

» Conference Call. NESCAC (8), Liberty (3), SUNYAC (3), UAA (3), C2C (2), MACC (2), MIAA (2), MIAC (2), NCAC (2), NEWMAC (2), NJAC (2), ODAC (2), SAA (2)

» Notable. Bates was the first team out despite compiling a 5-6-4 record.

Eighteen conferences earned automatic qualifications for their champions in the 2026 championship. There were 10 at-large berths available for all eligible institutions that did not receive an automatic qualification.”

» First-Round Games. Scranton (17-2) at Swarthmore (12-7); Colby-Sawyer (18-2) at Stevenson (17-2); Denison (16-2) at Johns Hopkins (16-4); Stevens (16-4) at Ursinus (14-5); Penn State Harrisburg (12-5) at Salisbury (15-3); Washington and Lee (14-4) at York PA (16-4); Union (13-6) at Babson (15-6); Southern Maine (15-7) at Hamilton (11-5); Geneseo (16-3) at Wesleyan (10-6); Endicott (16-4) at Amherst (9-7); Bridgewater State (13-7) at Williams (11-6); Rhodes (14-1) at Rowan (17-4).

» Complete Bracket

Here is the final NCAA Power Index for the 2026 DIII field hockey season.

» AQ (18). Johns Hopkins (CC), Endicott (CNE), Geneseo (E8), Colby-Sawyer (GNAC), Scranton(LAND), Southern Maine (LEC), Union (LL), York (MACC), Stevens (MACF), Bridgewater State (MASCAC), Denison (NCAC), Tufts (NESCAC), Babson (NEWMAC), Rowan (NJAC), Washington and Lee (ODAC), Rhodes (SAA), Salisbury (SUNYAC), PSU Harrisburg (UEC).

» At-Large (10). Middlebury, Bowdoin, Christopher Newport, Williams, Hamilton, Stevenson, Wesleyan, Amherst, Ursinus, Swarthmore.

» First Four Out. Bates, RPI, Franklin & Marshall, Colby

» Conference Call. NESCAC (7), Centennial (3), MACC (2)

Fifteen of the 29 possible AQs were decided during the penultimate weekend of the Division III football regular season.

» AQs (15). Wheaton IL (CCIW), Endicott (CNE), Cortland (E8), Susquehanna (LAND), RPI (LL), Calvin (MIAA), Saint John’s (MIAC), Springfield (NEWMAC), Christopher Newport (NJAC), Linfield (NWC), Baldwin Wallace (OAC), Washington & Jefferson (PAC), Huntingdon (USAS), UW-Whitewater (WIAC).

» Notable. Mount Union will miss the DIII playoffs for the first time since 1991.

» Winner-Take-All. There will be six head-to-head games that will determine the respective conference champion on Saturday: Wartburg v. Coe (A-R-C); Hardin-Simmons v. Mary Hardin-Baylor (ASC); Benedictine v. Concordia WI (NACC); Hampden-Sydney v. Randolph-Macon (ODAC); Texas Lutheran v. Hendrix (SCAC); Claremont-M-S v. Chapman (SCIAC).

» At-Large Cut Line. According to our calculation, the cut line for the 11 teams that are in search for at an-large berth in 33.

» Triathlon. North Central IL posted the best DIII finish at the USA Triathlon Collegiate Championships in Tempe, Ariz. The Cardinals topped the nine-team Division III field with 124 points, followed by Trine (92) and Central (70). Whitney Estabrook was the top individual, placing 69th in 1:08.19.1.

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