Brendan Sorsby Departure Costs Texas Tech Its Spot Atop the Big 12

Among college football's Power Four, the Big 12 remains the most upwardly mobile league, where anything can shift in a matter of weeks.

BYU now sits atop CBS Sports' post-spring Big 12 power rankings, after Texas Tech stumbled through the offseason, a dramatic reversal that underscores just how unpredictable this conference has become.

Eight of the last nine Big 12 title games have featured a new champion. Kansas State won it in 2022, Texas in 2023, Arizona State in 2024 in its first year in the conference, and Texas Tech in December. That kind of volatility is the Big 12's calling card, and Texas Tech is the latest program to feel it.

Why Texas Tech fell

The Red Raiders had every reason to enter 2026 as the frontrunner. The roster is loaded, the defensive line is arguably the best in the conference, and the offensive line could rank among the nation's best.

Then Brendan Sorsby happened.

The Cincinnati transfer arrived in Lubbock on a reported $5 million deal as the No. 2 overall portal player, coming off back-to-back seasons with the Bearcats that produced 45 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. He was the piece that made Texas Tech look like it would maintain its status as a national title threat.

Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby runs with the ball during the spring game. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Instead, Sorsby is currently fighting for his eligibility in a Lubbock district courtroom. He filed an injunction against the NCAA this week after admitting he placed thousands of bets over multiple years, including wagers on Indiana football while redshirting for the Hoosiers in 2022. The NCAA's gambling bylaws carry penalties up to permanent ineligibility.

His legal team, which includes prominent attorney Jeffrey Kessler, argues the NCAA has manufactured an "impossible bind" by delaying its reinstatement decision while the NFL deadline closes in on Sorsby. The NCAA responded that its sports betting rules are clear.

None of that resolves Texas Tech's immediate problem.

BYU and the rest of the Big 12

Texas Tech backup QB Will Hammond is recovering from a torn ACL and is not expected to be cleared for football activities until late August. McGuire said Hammond could be game-ready as soon as the Week 2 trip to Oregon State on September 12, or, at the latest, the September 19 Big 12 opener against Houston.

If Sorsby's injunction fails and Hammond isn't ready, Kirk Francis, a Tulsa transfer who made 12 career starts with the Golden Hurricane, would be under center to open the season.

BYU Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier (47) looks to continue to build upon his sensational true freshman season heading into 2026. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

That uncertainty is exactly why BYU moved to the top spot in Shehan Jeyarajah's Big 12 power rankings update. The Cougars rank among the national leaders in returning production, with potential All-Americans at running back (LJ Martin), safety (Faletau Satuala) and linebacker (Isaiah Glasker). The Cougs have the continuity Texas Tech suddenly lacks.

Houston, Arizona, Utah and TCU, the programs occupying the Nos. 3 to 6 spots in the rankings, all have realistic shots at the title as well. TCU's Jaden Craig and Arizona's Noah Fifita give those programs quarterback stability that Texas Tech is still scrambling to establish heading into the summer.

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