The Brendan Sorsby eligibility saga has taken many twists and turns in the last few months. As it stands right now, the embattled Texas Tech quarterback can play for the Red Raiders this season after an injunction victory, as reported by USA TODAY Sports.
This development didn’t sit too well with the college football world, as power conferences found the news particularly upsetting. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that the Big Ten was seriously considering banning its members from playing the Red Raiders in any sport, not just in football.
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Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellinger reported that the SEC and Big 12 were having similar discussions about having their members avoid Texas Tech on their schedules.
Given Sorsby’s admission that he gambled on teams that he played for in the past, the outrage at the possibility that the quarterback will be able to suit up this fall is understandable. With that said, the Big Ten, SEC and fellow Big 12 schools appear to be upset with the wrong party.
While the powers that be seem to be collaborating to punish the Red Raiders, it’s hard to throw most of the blame on the program. Texas Tech, like any other school, is in the business of winning football games, and their acquisition of Sorsby in the transfer portal was geared towards achieving that goal. Given Sorsby’s 60 touchdown to 18 interception career passing ratio and improved play at Cincinnati, he figured to be as good of a target under center as anyone.
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If the shoe were on another school’s foot, and they had a player with a questionable background (regardless of what put a player’s integrity in question), it would be a lot to expect other programs to leave said player out to dry without turning over every rock to have them eligible to play on Saturdays.
It’s also interesting to see what the Big Ten and SEC would have done if Sorsby landed with one of their schools. Reports indicate that LSU and Indiana were hot on Sorsby’s trail this winter before he ultimately committed to Texas Tech. It seems a little bit hypocritical that both conferences would come down hard on Texas Tech when their schools wanted Sorsby just as much.
At the end of the day, while the court’s decision has sparked outrage, the NCAA is ultimately where the buck should stop. It’s an embarrassing situation that has dragged college football through the mud during the offseason, and the fact that a player and his legal team can continue to fight something that other major sports have heavy-handed rules to stop is a bad look.
The Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 need look no further than the governing body that is supposed to protect all conferences from these situations.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Power conferences should blame NCAA for Brendan Sorsby saga
