With legal remedies failing, it could be up to Oregon to wreck Texas Tech again

In January Oregon ended Texas Tech's season with a 23-0 shutout win in the Orange Bowl, the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. Within a couple of weeks the Red Raiders rearmed themselves for another run at glory, plucking quarterback Brendan Sorsby from league rival Cincinnati in the Transfer Portal.

Tech and leading booster Cody Campbell paid Sorsby a reported $4 million, but the plan imploded when the NCAA suspended the coveted transfer for betting on college football and his own team. Six days ago he won an injunction from Lubbock judge Ken Curry, who ruled the suspension would cause the player irreparable harm.

In many other courts, that kind of irreparable harm is called consequences.

For once, I agree with Dabo Swinney. He was asked the other day about the Brendan Sorsby situation and the general state of college football and he said, "The only thing worse than having no rules is having rules you can’t enforce or don’t enforce."



"I don’t think any of us thought we’d be in a world where there’s no order. It’s a much bigger conversation now. Even in the NFL, there are rules."

Sorsby shouldn't be allowed to play this year, but the sympathetic local judge made him eligible, and there's probably not enough time for an appeal to be heard. The Big 12 could still declare him ineligible. There's growing pressure on Texas Tech to sideline him, but so far, the coach, university president, athletic director and influential booster Campbell have all circled the wagons around giving him a second chance.

An appropriate second chance would be allowing him to try out for the NFL after sitting out a year to properly deal with his addiction.

Sorsby bet on Indiana football 40 times and over four years he placed over $90,000 in bets. While he was on the Indiana team he wired money across state lines to conceal his bets and evade state laws. It's the one rule that has to be enforced. A two-game suspension is laughable. He'll miss Abilene Christian and Oregon State.

At FanDuel, Sorsby's reinstatement makes the Red Raiders the odds-on favorite to repeat as Big 12 champions. Last season at Cincinnati the 6-5, 230 quarterback completed 62 percent of his passes for 2800 yards and 27 touchdowns, 18th in the NCAA in passer rating, just slightly ahead of TTU senior Behren Morton, now graduated.

Sorsby excels as a runner, a true dual-threat who raced for 580 yards and nine touchdowns last season with the Bearcats.

Problem is, Sorsby's inconsistency creates the lingering appearance of impropriety

He can be terribly erratic as a signal caller. Cincinnati started their Big 12 campaign last season 5-0, ranked No. 17 before losing their last four conference games. In a November 1 matchup at No. 14 Utah he threw up a stinker, 11-33 for 221 yards, an interception and a lost fumble at the Utah 24.

Two weeks later after a bye the redshirt senior from Denton, Texas connected on 15-28 for 154 yards with two INTs and a sack as the Bearcats dropped a 30-24 decision to Arizona at home. He threw a pick on the first offensive play of the game. Two plays later the Wildcats scored on a 27-yard run for a quick 7-0 lead.

His propensity for big mistakes leave him open to questions. He'll be ruthlessly telestrated in 2026, and any time he falters people will openly speculate about whether the game is on the level.

It's a lot of extra pressure with Tech fans having big expectations after reaching the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff last year, particularly for someone who is battling an addiction. A 30-day rehab and a two-game suspension seem inadequate. Rules ought to matter, especially the one about betting on your own team's games.

It could be up to the Ducks to settle it on the field. Though the "Guns Up" squad is likely to rampage through their league, Sorsby's track record suggests he's no match for a fierce pass rush and a talented secondary.

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