Big Ten Makes Decision on Refusing to Play Texas Tech Amid Brendan Sorsby Controversy

The fallout from the Brendan Sorsby eligibility saga has grown far beyond that of one player at one program and has forced reactions from schools across the country.

What began as a legal battle over the Texas Tech quarterback’s ability to take the field has evolved into one of the most polarizing debates in college football, raising questions in particular about how and when the NCAA can actually enforce its own rules.

In response to that controversy, one conference has considered not playing Texas Tech while two other schools have already confirmed they won’t, and now another Power Four league has reportedly weighed in with its own decision.

Big Ten’s verdict on scheduling Texas Tech

Big Ten Makes Decision on Refusing to Play Texas Tech Amid Brendan Sorsby Controversy — Joseph Cress/For the Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Whatever they may think of the decision to let Sorsby play, the Big Ten is not expected to enforce any conference-wide rule that would stop its member schools from playing Texas Tech, according to a report from The Athletic.

Some ADs in the league wanted the conference to implement a Big Ten-wide ban against the school in all sports after a judge granted Sorsby an injunction that will let him play this season despite the NCAA making him ineligible for breaking its gambling rules.

Sorsby admitted to placing thousands of bets in violation of the NCAA’s rules against sports wagering, including on his own team when he was at Indiana.

But a Texas judge ruled the quarterback could play anyway, dealing another blow to the NCAA, and causing widespread outrage from college football’s decision makers.

But one B1G school has already made a move

While the Big Ten as a conference may not be considering a boycott of Texas Tech amid the Sorsby ruling, one of its member schools has already made its own decision.

Nebraska has told its coaches in all sports that they will not be allowed to schedule games against Texas Tech in the future, with SEC powerhouse Georgia following suit.

Georgia’s move to avoid the Red Raiders wasn’t surprising given the enraged reaction the school’s athletic director had to the Texas judge’s decision to reinstate Sorsby.

Josh Brooks, the Bulldogs’ AD and a member of the NCAA’s Football Oversight Committee, went as far as saying that the ruling put college football “at a point of no return,” and his school joined Nebraska in refusing to play Texas Tech as a result.

Two Big Ten members are set to play Texas Tech in the future, with the Illinois men’s basketball team playing the school this fall, and the Oregon football team will host the Red Raiders in 2033.

How the Sorsby situation got to this point

Sorsby, who transferred to Texas Tech from Cincinnati this offseason, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA after it was revealed that he wagered about $90,000 on pro and college sports over a four year period.

But when the quarterback sought an injunction against the NCAA for that decision, a judge in Lubbock, Tex., agreed, making him eligible to play football this season, preventing the NCAA from punishing him for breaking its rules on sports gambling.

In the process, the decision raised immediate and structural questions around the authority of the NCAA and competitive integrity, arguments that will undoubtedly continue into the future.

(Athletic)

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