Sep 2, 2023; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safety Sonny Styles (6) tackles Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Brendan Sorsby (15) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Indiana University Memorial Stadium. Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Has the Big 12 been eliminated, even before another round of bickering consumes the annual College Football Playoff chase?
With quarterback Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech looked to be a serious contender to represent the Big 12 conference in its first championship game since TCU lost by 58 points to Georgia in 2023 — and possibly even the conference’s first national champion since Texas won the 2005 BCS national title.
Without him, the Red Raiders look like another high-salaried championship wannabe that lost its way, proving once again that money alone cannot buy a national title, but it darn sure can ruin a golden opportunity to win one.
Sorsby, you know, has checked himself into a center for gambling addiction. Good for him, not only for recognizing a problem, but also for taking action to correct it. He messed up — especially if he wagered on his own (Indiana) team. He knows he did something he shouldn’t have done. He’s doing something about it. Eventually, he might even end up being a superstar someplace, but probably not at a school sanctioned by the NCAA.
What a rub, though, for the Big 12, which has zero national CFP titles, compared to the SEC’s six, the Big Ten’s four and the ACC’s two.
Just when you think there’s an opportunity for the Big 12 to get some national respect and make a serious run to end the Big Ten’s title domination at three in a row, the current national headline is about the best team’s Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback admitting himself into rehab.
Bummer — not only for Sorsby, but also for a conference that hasn’t really been much of a major player in college football circles since Texas and Oklahoma fled to the once-almighty SEC.
Big 12 teams have a 1-8 College Football Playoff record, thanks to TCU’s 51-45 victory against Michigan in the 2023 semifinal round. Otherwise, the conference would be in the same winless boat as the American, Mountain West and Sun Belt conferences.
With Mr. Crumbl Cookie Guy helping bankroll BYU, the Cougars look to be the Big 12’s next-best CFP hope for the upcoming season. And with quarterback Bear Bachmeier (he’s the dude who wears uniform No. 47) returning, there’s a shot. And with an extremely soft regular-season schedule that’s highlighted by only two big games — at home against Notre Dame and at Utah — anything is possible.
So, the odds now shift to BYU, and if that sounds duplicitous, you’re right.
Hypocritical, that stories about Sorsby’s gambling situation are more about how his entering a rehab center affects the Red Raiders’ betting odds?
Maybe — yet not totally out of line. Sports gambling is part of our entertainment these days. If you don’t want to partake, then don’t. If you’re making illegal wagers, then don’t risk getting caught.
We see it everywhere we look. We hear it each time we turn on our go-to podcasts. Over-unders. Point spreads. Odds on everything from how long it takes someone to sing the pregame national anthem to who wins the Heisman Trophy.
It’s inescapable — and we’re surprised when a star athlete is accused of betting on something the NCAA says they’re not supposed to be betting on?
Hell no.
Sports betting was going on long before podcasts were invented. Long before newspapers and websites were paid to publicize point spreads, people found bookies and smoke-filled backrooms of prominent restaurants to satisfy their urge to bet on games.
It was happening long before states began legalizing sports wagering, so don’t think this is just a recent phenomenon that you can choose to do — or not to do.
Kudos to Sorsby for being proactive — regardless of what it means to his team, his career and his Heisman Trophy hopes.
He’s taking care of what could become a problem way bigger than what it means to the Big 12 Conference.
(Columnist Randy Peterson, a past Iowa Sportswriter of the Year winner, can be reached at [email protected] or at any Okoboji-area beverage/food establishment between the hours of open and close.)
