The Federal law passed by Congress in 1961 called the The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 was designed to protect colleges from the NFL

It protected existing amateur sports from being crushed by the NFL’s existing popularity and the money behind the machine.

It was designed to level or protect the viewership opportunity for colleges.

With current media favoring one college segment over another (creating a monetary disadvantage) it's clear the intent was only partially met.

Going forward it will be interesting to see how college sports is protected from itself.