California recently became the first state to legally allow players to hire agents to assist in securing sponsorship and business deals. Although the Fair Pay to Pay Act won't go into effect until January 2023, other states are following California's lead and taking action. Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Minnesota are just some of the states preparing for this change.
Illinois state representative Emanuel "Chris" Welch is the leader of the bill in Illinois and joined the Mully & Haugh Show on 670 The Score on Thursday morning to discuss the proposal from the state. One of the reasons Welch is pushing this bill, which was filed on Sept. 30, is to level the playing field.
"This is identical to the California bill, including the effective date," Welch said.
"This allows us to do it properly. We need to put proper rules in place. We need to protect these kids when agents are able to go after them legally."
State legislatures getting out ahead can only help Big Ten as it looks to stay competitive across the nation.
The top four scoring defenses in the country reside in the Big Ten: Wisconsin, Penn State, Iowa and Ohio State. Each team allows less than nine points per contest, with the Badgers leading the way at 5.8
The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions also rank in the top five nationally in scoring offense, while the Badgers rank ninth. Back at the Big Ten's media days in July, there was much consternation about the conference's inability to put a team in the College Football Playoff in each of the last two years. So far, the Big Ten has proved to be one of the strongest conferences in the country. Four teams remain unbeaten: Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State and surprising Minnesota. That matches the SEC for the most remaining undefeated teams in a conference.
Sitting at 5-0 and ranked No. 10, Penn State might be overlooked at the moment. We'll find out much more over these next two weekends. Penn State plays at No. 17 Iowa (4-1) on Saturday night and then hosts No. 16 Michigan the following week.
Quarterback Sean Clifford has made fans quickly forget the Trace McSorley era, as the Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten in passing yards per game and rank 19th nationally. The sophomore Clifford is eighth in the country in passing efficiency and gives Penn State a game-changer at the most important position on the field.
Illinois starting quarterback Brandon Peters suffered a head injury in a loss to Minnesota last Saturday, and redshirt freshman Matt Robinson replaced him. Robinson got the nod after fellow freshman quarterback Isaiah Williams didn't travel due to injury.
Coach Lovie Smith has been vague about the availability of his quarterbacks as a matchup against Michigan looms Saturday. If Peters isn't healthy enough to play, look for Robinson to start, as he received the majority of the practice reps this week. Whoever is behind center for the Illini is going to face a challenge in the Wolverines' defense, which solid in allowing 16.0 points per game, which ranks 16th nationally. The Illini have lost three in a row after a 2-0 start.