Ted Cruz ruthlessly booed on College GameDay while promoting Protect College Sports Act

ESPN College GameDay is in Austin, Texas, for Week 2 of the college football season, setting up shop for the blockbuster showdown between the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 4 Texas Longhorns.

During one of the show’s opening segments, Texas Senator Ted Cruz pulled up to the set to sit down with host Rece Davis to discuss the Protect College Sports Act.

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Unfortunately for Senator Cruz, fans on the LBJ lawn only wanted to hear about today’s games. When Cruz appeared on set, boos rained out of the crowd.

Cruz’s interview was drowned out by the raucous crowd, which routinely broke out into “Ted Cruz sucks!” chants throughout his sitdown.

MORE: College football games on today, Week 2 AP Top 25 TV schedule for Saturday

Ted Cruz Discusses The Protect College Sports Act

Cruz has been an outspoken supporter of the Protect College Sports Act and has been pushing for President Donald Trump to sign it into federal law.

He recently cited College GameDay clips from Nick Saban and Pat McAfee to promote the bill.

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What Is The Protect College Sports Act?

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during a conference on Energy Permitting Reform at The Stack at Municipal Light Plant on Sept. 3, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

The Protect College Sports Act is a bipartisan bill Cruz co-authored with Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington.

The bill promotes a federal standard for eligibility, NIL, and transfers, limiting players to just five years of eligibility from the time they graduate high school or turn 19. Under the bill, athletes would receive one no-penalty transfer, which would put an end to the current “wild west” transfer portal.

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A Senate vote on the Protect College Sports Act is currently scheduled between September 15 and September 23.

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