The College Football Playoff Must Take a Stand Against Texas Tech, Brendan Sorsby

The integrity of the postseason is at stake as the Red Raiders take any means possible to earn a coveted CFP berth.

Brendan Sorsby was granted an injunction to play this season for Texas Tech, which set off a firestorm of anger among Big 12 peers—and others. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

College Football Playoff executive director Rich Clark has done an excellent job playing the part of steady peacemaker lately. 

The former Air Force veteran has navigated the often contentious playoff expansion debate between conference commissioners and has turned into someone whose opinion is widely respected despite being just two years into the gig.

In the wake of the Brendan Sorsby ruling on Monday declaring the Texas Tech quarterback eligible to play this season however, Clark and the CFP need to speak up with a forceful opinion. They need to shred the act of being a neutral arbiter. The moment has arrived to take a stand for the integrity of the postseason event the CFP puts on.

Most importantly, it’s time to send a message the NCAA is no longer capable of doing thanks to a misguided interpretation of the case from a judge by way of the 99th District Court of Lubbock County.

Enough.

No more court injunctions. Scrap the billable hours. Those cardinal sins everybody agrees to, on and off the field, are just that. For the good of college football this season and for the good of everyone who doesn’t sport a Texas Tech rooting interest, it’s time to time to tell the adults in the room to cut it out or else.

If the Red Raiders want to play Sorsby starting in Week 3, as the injunction allows, that’s their prerogative. 

They’ve clearly shown their cards to do so, not only paying upward of $5 million to land the signal-caller out of the transfer portal but in helping arrange multiple high-priced lawyers to fight this case. The school president and athletic director have been far from tepid with their support in the matter, too—quite the about-face after casting a vote to rescind changes to NCAA gambling rules just seven months ago. 

Should Sorsby take the field however, it should be done so with the understanding that it would come at a cost. The CFP needs to say bluntly and clearly that those games will not be considered by the selection committee when evaluating the team for the playoff. 

That might be the deterrent the school will finally take seriously. 

Texas Tech would not be going through this entire charade and dragging its reputation through the mud if Sorsby was merely an average player who made only a few grand. He was brought in to be a difference-maker, which is why Tech has said damn the torpedoes at every turn so the Red Raiders can remain a CFP contender.

They’re free to take a chance that it won’t matter, that some sort of overwhelming season on the field will be too hard for the committee to ignore instead of the 2–0 mark on their computer screens when Tech is discussed during voting. 

Judging by the negative reaction so far, that would be a pretty sizable bet bigger than anything Sorsby actually wagered on. It’s especially notable in light of who will be evaluating the Red Raiders this year.

Does one think Gus Malzahn, Mike Riley, Mark Dantonio or Jeff Tedford are at all comfortable with the situation, knowing what their active coaching peers are feeling about a quarterback playing who would be kicked off the team in just about 137 other situations? Utah athletic director Mark Harlan and Nebraska’s Troy Dannen have already come out publicly in opposition to the ruling, with the latter even telling his staff to stop scheduling Texas Tech across all sports.

They’re far from alone in clenching a fist at such a blatant disregard of this third rail. Numerous Big 12 administrators and coaches fumed in the wake of the ruling on Monday, with a number of the former discussing the matter in person during an industry convention this week. It’s possible the league could take action before the CFP, whose office is conveniently located nearby Big 12 headquarters. 

“We had a thoughtful and productive conversation with our athletics directors today as we continue to work through the broader implications of this situation,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement Tuesday. “Many of our athletics directors voiced their opinions. We will continue to have open and honest dialogue amongst the group and until there is something to report, these conversations will remain within the conference.”

Statement on behalf of Commissioner Brett Yormark. pic.twitter.com/CMs7jvHM5e

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) June 9, 2026

It may be tough for Yormark to find a solution that satisfies his angry membership while balancing not doing anything untoward against Texas Tech. That means it could be the CFP that is the last, best hope for a solution to send a proper message that what just happened is not in the best interests of the sport. 

Besides, the last two months have seen commissioners, coaches and ADs threatening to break away from the NCAA in order to govern itself if the former cannot. Here’s an opportunity for Clark and company to lay some groundwork to just that, to put into practice what has so far been just theory and bluster.  

The NCAA had its day in court. It, and common sense it seems, lost. Now it’s time for others to pick up the pieces and step into the void. 

That can start with the CFP finding a way to issue an extrajudicial settlement that meets the moment at hand.

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