All eyes will be on Texas this week as the Big 12 hosts its two-day football media event at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ training facility in Frisco, starting Tuesday. Coaches and players from all 16-member schools will be on hand to talk all things football.
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Here are five subjects that are sure to come up this week:
Fallout from the Brendan Sorsby situation
It’s been nearly four months since the news broke about impermissible betting on college football by Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby. Since that moment in March, it’s been like a soap opera with all the twists and turns, including the filing of multiple lawsuits, first against the NCAA and then against Texas Tech. Throughout, school officials and mega-booster Cody Campbell stood pat in their support for Sorsby.
The situation finally came to a head last month when the Big 12 filed a lawsuit in federal court, prompting Sorsby to announce he was withdrawing his lawsuit against the NCAA, effectively ending his bid to play this season.
It was an all-around ugly situation for the parties involved and certainly strained the relationships between Texas Tech and the remaining 15 league members, which makes this week’s media event must-see television.
Can commissioner Brett Yormark bring everyone back together in the fold, or is this one of those situations where time heals all wounds?
Expansion of the College Football Playoff
The Big 12 has already thrown its weight behind the idea of expanding the College Football Playoff from its current 12-team format to 24 teams. The league’s coaches have also been behind the proposal, citing accessibility and the potential to bring more teams into the mix.
Yet, we’re no closer to a 24-team model than we were six months ago or, for that matter, a year ago.
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Some of the hang-ups center on scheduling, with concerns that expansion would push the semifinals and the National Championship game into February. This season’s title game is set for Jan. 25, 2027, two weeks into the spring academic calendar.
Pushing the start date of the season up to Week Zero would help, as would eliminating conference championship games, something leagues like the SEC aren’t too keen on doing.
Impact of the 5-for-5 model on college rosters
The approval of the NCAA’s age-based eligibility model or “5-for-5,” as it’s known, was welcome news for many in college athletics.
The measure eliminates the redshirt seasons and waivers that have allowed super-seniors older than 24, simplifying the rules surrounding rosters. It’s also expected to slow down the transfer process, with players choosing to stay longer rather than immediately entering the portal.
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But there are plenty of cons, including the elimination of the medical hardship waiver, which granted an athlete an additional year of eligibility if they suffered a season-ending injury. And with no redshirt years, coaches are more likely to play true freshmen who may not be ready to see immediate action.
Upcoming media rights negotiations
The Big 12 is currently in the middle of a six-year, $2.28 billion media rights deal with ESPN and Fox Sports that runs through 2030-31. Yet, Yormark and the league have been focused on creating more value for the conference as a whole.
The additions of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF in 2023 and Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah in 2024 provided the league with more assets to leverage in the next round of negotiations.
The Big 12’s new private equity deal was believed to provide an additional revenue influx to the league and its members. Plus, the conference has reached new sponsorship deals for its championships and media days events.
In all, it’s meant to help shrink the financial gap between the Big Ten and SEC and the Big 12.
Yormark has even hinted at splitting the media rights package, hoping to get a better overall deal for the league’s basketball assets that, when combined with football, would give the conference a larger boost in 2030-31.
Who is the frontrunner in the Big 12?
On the field, Texas Tech figured to be the frontrunner to repeat as conference champion for the first time since Oklahoma in 2019-20. However, the loss of Sorsby may have extended those odds heading into fall camp.
If the Red Raiders were to slip, BYU would be the next team up in many people’s eyes.
The Cougars, who finished as runner-ups to TTU last season, return 11 starters, including quarterback Bear Bachmeier and running back LJ Martin.
Houston also figures to be in the mix. The Cougars return 11 starters, led by quarterback Conner Weigman, and all-conference standouts in wideout Amare Thomas and cornerback Will James.
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: [email protected]. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
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