On Monday morning, one of the biggest college football stories of the century, let alone the past decade, emerged: a local judge granted a temporary injunction for Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby, allowing him to play the 2026 season despite being ruled ineligible by the NCAA for his gambling activity.
In the 24 hours since, many opinions have become clear.
While there may be one way of feeling in Lubbock, across the country, the main sentiment appears to be that this should not stand, and opposing teams, coaches, athletic directors, and governing bodies should do anything and everything in their power to get out in front of this, whether that be canceling games against Texas Tech or refusing to schedule them in the future.
It also appears that there is going to be some pressure on the College Football Playoff to put some weight in this fight as well.
According to USA TODAY’s Matt Hayes, a person with intimate knowledge of the situation revealed on Monday night that the CFP is considering declaring the Red Raiders ineligible for the postseason this year if Sorsby is allowed to play. Hayes breaks down how it would play out, which may not be as difficult as you’d expect:
The CFP selection committee only ranks teams eligible for the playoff, and the CFP is run by a board of managers — a group of 11 university presidents and chancellors who develop, approve and review operating policies.
It is not run by the NCAA. In fact, it’s the only collegiate sports championship event that isn’t governed or officially sanctioned by the NCAA.
In other words, there’s a potential workaround on the Sorsby ruling — even with the judge’s mandate that the NCAA cannot enforce its “Rule of Restitution” for the 2026 college football season.
Essentially, the CFP can say “we don’t like how you’ve operated in the face of the rules, and we aren’t going to let you play for our championship,” regardless of what a local judge might have ruled.
For something like this to happen, the CFP board would need a majority vote among its 11 members, which is incredibly important, given that Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec is on the board and could block a unanimous decision if needed.
With just over 80 days until the college football season begins, there is a lot to be decided between now and then, and some major announcements yet to come. The Red Raiders are going to put their full weight into this and try to make it so they can continue their hopes of returning to the College Football Playoff and compete for a national championship.
So far, they’ve taken a big step toward that, with a judge ruling in their favor and clearing the path.
This story isn’t even close to over, though. The CFP could still close the door.
This article originally appeared on Red Raiders Wire: Could Texas Tech football be banned by College Football Playoff?
Reporting by Zachary Neel, Red Raiders Wire / Red Raiders Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Zachary Neel, Red Raiders Wire | USA TODAY Network
