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FILE - Quarterback Brendan Sorsby attends an NCAA college basketball game between Texas Tech and Houston, Jan. 24, 2026, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Annie Rice, file)

Annie Rice, AP Photo

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Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark addresses the media during the NCAA college Big 12 women's basketball media day Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. The NCAA and the nation's five biggest conferences have agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims,a monumental decision that sets the stage for a groundbreaking revenue-sharing model that could start directing millions of dollars directly to athletes as soon as the 2025 fall semester.

Charlie Riedel, AP Photo

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Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire speaks during The Houston Touchdown Club luncheon, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

David J. Phillip, AP Photo

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Daily Herald sports writers Darnell Dickson and Brandon Gurney debate and pontificate on the hot BYU sports topics of the week.

1. So the Brendan Sorsby situation has dominated the offseason news circuit, and for unfortunate reasons. The Cincinnati transfer to Texas Tech was granted a temporary injunction by a Texas judge, clearing the way for him to play this season despite admitted gambling improprieties. What is the potential fallout involved with Texas Tech moving forward to present Sorsby as its starting quarterback this coming season?

GURNEY: I think the potential fallout is tremendous. When controversial news like this hits it’s usually accompanied by engaging opinions supporting both sides of the argument, but in the case, all the opinions I can find are strongly against Texas Tech’s planned course of action of playing Sorsby this season. And yeah, I’ve looked for a strong opinion arguing for the action currently being undertaken by Texas Tech in this regard, and I can’t find one, or at least one that holds any amount of credibilty.

So yeah, the potential fallout is potentially very bad, for both Texas Tech and in conjunction the Big 12 Conference and indeed college athletics in general. An athlete found gambling on his own team has never been tolerated and for good reason. Should it be tolerated by Texas Tech here it simply damages the credibility of the sport that we all have come to love so much and it’s a strong commentary of the loss of institutional control from the NCAA to the universities it supposedly represents.

DICKSON: The judge in Texas who signed off on the injunction wrote that Sorsby’s permanent ban from college football would be harmful to his mental health. What about turning Sorsby into a national punching bag for professional media and social media? What about Sorsby being booed unmercifully at every road venue? What about becoming the kind of villain that usually only exists in books and movies? All for the sake of winning a few more games.

When we consider the potential fallout, I feel like I should point out that the Sorsby situation isn’t the only seismic-worthy plot point in college football’s offseason. There’s the possibility of conference realignment. There’s the threat of congress jumping into the governance of the sport. There’s the consideration of doubling the number of college football playoff spots from 12 to 24. There’s an option of declaring college athletes employees so they can form a union and get into collective bargaining. There’s the very real possibility of the Big 10 and the SEC breaking off to form their own mega-conference. Any one of these can set off a devastating chain reaction in college football that would make it unrecognizable in a very short time. Frankly, I’m pretty worried about BYU’s place in this mess.

2. So what can be done regarding the Sorsby situation and what should be done? The Big 12 Conference immediately moved to explore potential action and it’s been reported that every member institution, save Texas Tech, came out strongly against Sorsby being deemed eligible to play this season. So where does the Big 12 go from here?

DICKSON: One one hand, Texas Tech is declaring they are just doing what’s best for Sorsby and it’s what any other power conference program would do. On the other hand, it seems obvious they are protecting a $5 million investment and implying that no one — not the NCAA, nor the Big 12 — is going to tell them what to do.

Frankly, the arrogance is stunning.

The fact that Sorsby gambled on college football isn’t in dispute. He admitted it and there’s proof as well. What’s Texas Tech doesn’t like is the permanent ban, insisting that two games is sufficient.

The college football world seems to be in agreement that betting on the sport you play (and the team you play for) is a very cardinal rule that cannot be broken without the most severe of penalties. There are dissenting opinions, but almost exclusively from Texas Tech fans and supporters. It’s well within the power of the Big 12 to sanction Texas Tech and/or Sorsby, but the school has already declared it will tie this thing up in court forever, no matter what happens.

GURNEY: The Big 12 needs to do whatever it can to prevent Sorsby from playing this season and it’s really that simple. Can the Big 12 accomplish as much? That’s certainly dubious when considering the precedent set by the legal decision set forth by the Texas circuit court judge, among other factors. But when considering the general outrage from, well everyone everywhere, the Big 12 has to at least attempt to act and act strongly in this regard.

Should Sorsby play and win the conference race, and subsequent invite to the CFP, becomes somewhat of a joke and will work to damage the credibility of a conference that took a big hit in this regard due to the Red Raider’s hapless performance versus Oregon during last year’s playoff. The Big 12 needs to present itself as a serious institution whose member institutions can present competitive products that abide by general good sense regarding the credibility of the sport.

3. What does the Sorsby situation reveal about the current state of college athletics in this crazy NIL era?

GURNEY: I learned a long time ago regarding the power of extremely wealthy boosters with regards to who actually runs college athletics, and this was long before the advent of the NIL era. This has obviously been exasperated considerably to the point where Texas Tech mega booster, Cody Campbell, feels obligated to speak on behalf of the Sorsby situation and without discretion. He’s gone on record threatening any and every legal action imaginable should the Big 12 move to ban Sorsby, which speaks loudly to who is really calling the shots here.

So can Texas Tech act prudently even if it wants to is the question that needs to be asked. Campbell, and his kind, have no intention of acting prudently and they’re the ones with the massive purse strings. Should Texas Tech act contrary to Campbell’s desires, who has placed an enormous financial stake in Sorsby playing this season, and then that money likely goes away? It can well be argued that no college football program has benefitted more from the NIL era than Texas Tech, so run contrary to what even one mega booster desires, and all the gains the Red Raiders have made in recent years takes a big hit. So the commentary is simple: College football is being run by a handful of sports-obsessed billionaires, for better or for worse.

DICKSON: Look, I’m old and have been watching college sports since before cable TV. We had two and a half channels in the rural town in Oregon I grew up in and Saturdays (the only day college football was available back then) were sacred. I parked my butt in front of our blurry tube TV and drank in every moment. The college football (and college men’s basketball) I grew up watching and loved are gone, probably for good.

It really began before the transfer portal and NIL but the changes have accelerated since those two big changes. I still love the two or three hours I get to spend covering college sports events on a regular basis but the stuff going on outside of the game is becoming less palatable.  The current state of college athletics is poised on the edge of a knife, ready to fall to its death or prosper. I just wish there were someone in charge that could be trusted to keep it going.

4. Okay, enough with Sorsby. We just finished covering a bevy of high school sports activity. What was your favorite story you covered in May and which team or individual impressed you most?

DICKSON: Oh, come on, Gurney. You get me all charged up and dark about college sports and then you ask me this question? I’m a sucker for high school sports and everybody knows it. I’m always searching for those singular, emotional moments that get you right in the heart. Here are a few that stood out: Salem Hills softball coach Kaleb Stokes and his daughter, Aubree, embracing joyfully after winning the 5A title; Brothers Jack and Connor Merryweather consoling each other after Pleasant Grove lost to Hillcrest in double overtime in the boys soccer playoffs; Spanish Fork baseball coach (and former Don) Hadley Thorpe getting choked up when asked about the legacy of his program after a second straight 5A championship and American Fork coach Jarod Ingersoll leaping on top of the dog+++p’ile of players on the mound after the Cavemen won the 6A crown.

Then there was my moment of utter fear: I was shooting photos after AF’s win when Body Gaggero decided to run the championship trophy over to the Caveman fans. He and the entire AF team sprinted directly at me. I stood as still as I could and miraculously, no one ran me over.

If I didn’t have high school sports to write about, I’m not sure how I would continue in this profession, to be completely honest.

GURNEY: I wasn’t expecting much of a story when driving to Salt Lake City to cover the 5A state tennis championships, but soon learned why it’s important to cover most everything we can. Timpview won the championship while rallying around a fallen teammate, Levi Teemant, who was involved in a serious car wreck a week before the championships and remained in the hospital in critical condition when the T-birds took the court back on May 16. Timpview was upfront and resolute in playing for Teemant and was able to get it together and take the team title. I love these type of stories and it exemplifies the very best that sports can present at any level.

5. The World Cup begins in earnest this weekend, with Team USA kicking off against Paraguay on Friday. Gather all your vast soccer knowledge available and give your pick for who wins the event and what are your expectations for Team USA?

GURNEY: I’m not necessarily a soccer guy, per say, but I love the World Cup. I get interested in most every match and I’ll put away my so-called journalistic integrity for the next month or so and cheer full on for Team USA. I think the American team has shown well recently, and like most, I expect it to advance to the round of 16, which is the farthest we (yes, we!) advance in any given world cup.

As for my pick, I’m going with England and it’s a complete homer pick. I lived in England at an early age, and like most Utahns, I have strong genealogical ties to the country. So yeah, I’m going England. Yes, I know that France and Spain are the smart picks, but I don’t claim intelligence in assessing the soccer. So, go England!

DICKSON: Early in my sports journalism career I was covering a high school soccer match, maybe even my first one. One team kept getting called for offside. I turned to Deseret News writer James Edward and asked what was going on. That’s when I learned about the concept of the “offside trap,” which seemed to run counter to every other sporting strategy I’d ever heard of. Anyway, my soccer knowledge has increased since then, mainly due to the kindness and patience of BYU women’s soccer coach Jennifer Rockwood. I’m sure some of my questions early on were dumb and ridiculous but she always answered every one. I’m still not a soccer expert by any means but I do appreciate the sport a lot more than when I started.

So the World Cup? No idea who will win. I know the USA has put a ton of resources into getting better but don’t see them making much progress. Who does Lionel Messi play for? Argentina? Sure, let’s go with them. Viva, La Albiceleste!