The story

Texas Senator Ted Cruz was interviewed on ESPN's College GameDay for nearly 10 minutes on September 12 in Austin, Texas, ahead of the game between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 4 Texas. Cruz appeared to discuss the Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan bill he co-authored with Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington. The Texas-heavy crowd booed loudly and chanted "Ted, you suck!" and "Get him off!" during the segment. Cruz wore a burnt-orange blazer and Longhorns lapel pin.

The Protect College Sports Act aims to address issues in college sports by allowing the NCAA and member conferences to establish new rules on athlete eligibility, transfers, and player compensation, and limit conference realignment and a future super league. The bill would allow one transfer without losing eligibility and a second transfer with a year of lost eligibility, and gives five years of eligibility for athletes. It also requires reporting of NIL agreements over $600 and caps agent fees at 5 percent.

This was the second consecutive week GameDay dedicated a segment to the bill, with co-hosts Nick Saban and Pat McAfee advocating for it during Week 1 in Baton Rouge. Saban and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders have appeared in commercials supporting the bill sponsored by the Saving College Sports organization run by Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell. The bill is slated for a potential vote next week as the Senate returns from summer recess and needs 60 votes to pass the 100-member Senate. Cruz got more airtime than Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, who joined the set for about eight minutes. ESPN declined to comment through a spokesperson.