2026 College Football Thread

[jesmu84]

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/texas-tech-qb-brendan-sorsby-defeats-ncaa-regains-eligibility

Lol

[Pakuni]

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/texas-tech-qb-brendan-sorsby-defeats-ncaa-regains-eligibility

Lol

I suspect (hope?) an appeals court might look less favorably upon his Sorsby's arguments than a retiree who was assigned to hear this case.

[MU82]

Sorsby gives up fight vs NCAA to enter NFL supplemental draft.

He's ... um ... betting on himself.

[The Sultan]

It's going to be interesting to see what happens with him. He has high round talent, but the reputational risk and optics don't look great.

[JWags85]

It's going to be interesting to see what happens with him. He has high round talent, but the reputational risk and optics don't look great.

Are the optics/reputation risk any worse than any of the countless Day 1/2 draft picks with other legal issues?  Not like the NFL gets too hung up on moral failings if someone can ball.

If this was a normal draft and he was borderline late first, what would this drop him to, like a 3rd?

I'm not saying Id be clamoring for my team to grab him, especially if they needed a starting QB like most teams drafting a QB in the early rounds.  But is it that much worse optically than someone like Jalen Carter?

[Pakuni]

Are the optics/reputation risk any worse than any of the countless Day 1/2 draft picks with other legal issues?  Not like the NFL gets too hung up on moral failings if someone can ball.

If this was a normal draft and he was borderline late first, what would this drop him to, like a 3rd?

I'm not saying Id be clamoring for my team to grab him, especially if they needed a starting QB like most teams drafting a QB in the early rounds.  But is it that much worse optically than someone like Jalen Carter?

Yes, it's much worse. In normal society, gambling isn't a greater moral failing than domestic violence or drunk driving. In football, unlike those things, it calls into question the integrity of the game. Nobody's going to question the results of a game/play when the QB has a pot possession arrest on his record or the defensive tackle drove too fast. Everybody's going to question Sorsby every time he throws a bad pick or misses an open receiver.
And let's face it, gambling is a huge driver of the NFL's success, so any appearance of impropriety is bad for the league. If people don't trust the results, they won't gamble on the games. If they don't gamble on the games, they're less likely to watch.

[The Sultan]

Are the optics/reputation risk any worse than any of the countless Day 1/2 draft picks with other legal issues?  Not like the NFL gets too hung up on moral failings if someone can ball.

If this was a normal draft and he was borderline late first, what would this drop him to, like a 3rd?

I'm not saying Id be clamoring for my team to grab him, especially if they needed a starting QB like most teams drafting a QB in the early rounds.  But is it that much worse optically than someone like Jalen Carter?

Yes, I think someone who has a gambling addiction and a history of betting on their own team is worse from an optics point of view. And I think the reaction of the past week or so is a testament to that.

People don't bat an eye when a college player who has a legal issue is playing, but everyone (rightfully) went nuts when he won his eligibility case last week. I think that is likely to carry over to whomever drafts him. They are going to have to deal with a significant PR issue. I'm not saying they won't be able to work through it, but yes, it will be more significant than Jalen Carter.

[Pakuni]

Also, there are probably plenty of NFL execs/owners who remember the name Art Schlichter and how that turned out.

[MU82]

Yep, an NFL team bringing in Sorsby would be taking quite a gamble.

[MU82]

One day before the office of Texas attorney general Ken Paxton released a letter threatening legal action against the Big 12 conference if it moved to sanction Texas Tech over quarterback Brendan Sorsby's eligibility saga, Texas Tech board of regents chair and billionaire booster Cody Campbell donated $274,300 in support of Paxton's U.S. Senate campaign.

(From The Athletic)

[Uncle Rico]

One day before the office of Texas attorney general Ken Paxton released a letter threatening legal action against the Big 12 conference if it moved to sanction Texas Tech over quarterback Brendan Sorsby's eligibility saga, Texas Tech board of regents chair and billionaire booster Cody Campbell donated $274,300 in support of Paxton's U.S. Senate campaign.

(From The Athletic)

How much did he donate to Nancy Pelosi?

[Pakuni]

Things still going well for Belichick at UNC.

North Carolina has placed general manager Michael Lombardi, a longtime confidant of coach Bill Belichick, on paid administrative leave, the school announced Monday.
The school provided no details about the decision and said it would have no further public comment about the personnel matter.
"As is standard procedure with personnel matters, leadership, staff, and student-athletes are prohibited from addressing this topic further, and has no reflection on the merits," the school said in a statement.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7472479/2026/07/27/michael-lombardi-north-carolina-bill-belichick-gm/?source=emp_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

[Pakuni]

Ohio State getting $17 million a year to wear JPMorgan Chase logos on their uniforms across all sports.
I get it, but ugh.

https://x.com/PeteThamel/status/2082073612354236593?s=20

[WhiteTrash]

Ohio State getting $17 million a year to wear JPMorgan Chase logos on their uniforms across all sports.
I get it, but ugh.

https://x.com/PeteThamel/status/2082073612354236593?s=20

And just like that, ND tops OSU with $18-20M from SoFi.

[tower912]

Brave new world.

[MU82]

Here's The Athletic's Stewart Mandel on Fickell and the Weasels:


The Badgers began showing progress toward the end of last season, as soon as then-AD Chris McIntosh announced he was keeping Luke Fickell. Their defense was dominant in upsets of Washington (13-10) and Illinois (27-10), both of which were ranked at the time. And it needed to be, since Wisconsin played nearly the entire season without a serviceable quarterback. If nothing else, landing Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year Colton Joseph from Old Dominion should provide some hope. Not to mention Iowa State RB Abu Sama III, who, while up-and-down during his time in Ames, has shown he can be a difference-maker who can take it to the house.

By all accounts, Wisconsin did what McIntosh pledged and upped its roster spending considerably for this season. It's still not near the top of the Big Ten, but it was near the bottom, previously. Not to make excuses for Fickell, but he had more NFL talent at Cincinnati, pre-NIL, than he's had so far at Wisconsin in the pay-for-play era.

The biggest thing Wisconsin has going for it this year is its schedule. It went from being one of the toughest in the country last season to one of the lightest this season. Yes, the Badgers open with Notre Dame, but in conference play they miss Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana and Michigan. Instead, they get Michigan State, Rutgers, Maryland and Purdue.

If Fickell can't win seven or eight this year, he probably never will.

[Uncle Rico]

Here's The Athletic's Stewart Mandel on Fickell and the Weasels:


The Badgers began showing progress toward the end of last season, as soon as then-AD Chris McIntosh announced he was keeping Luke Fickell. Their defense was dominant in upsets of Washington (13-10) and Illinois (27-10), both of which were ranked at the time. And it needed to be, since Wisconsin played nearly the entire season without a serviceable quarterback. If nothing else, landing Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year Colton Joseph from Old Dominion should provide some hope. Not to mention Iowa State RB Abu Sama III, who, while up-and-down during his time in Ames, has shown he can be a difference-maker who can take it to the house.

By all accounts, Wisconsin did what McIntosh pledged and upped its roster spending considerably for this season. It's still not near the top of the Big Ten, but it was near the bottom, previously. Not to make excuses for Fickell, but he had more NFL talent at Cincinnati, pre-NIL, than he's had so far at Wisconsin in the pay-for-play era.

The biggest thing Wisconsin has going for it this year is its schedule. It went from being one of the toughest in the country last season to one of the lightest this season. Yes, the Badgers open with Notre Dame, but in conference play they miss Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana and Michigan. Instead, they get Michigan State, Rutgers, Maryland and Purdue.

If Fickell can't win seven or eight this year, he probably never will.

It would help Marquette's cause if Wisconsin is good again