Goodman: This is how it all ends for college football, or starts anew

This is an opinion column.

College football officially hit its breaking point this Monday. In a move that highlights just how deep the rot in our sport has become, a Lubbock, Texas judge has cleared the path for Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby to play this season—despite the fact that he admitted to betting on his own games.

The Death of Integrity

The NCAA is planning to appeal the decision from Judge Ken Curry, but the damage is already systemic. While Pete Rose received a lifetime ban for gambling on baseball, Judge Curry has handed Sorsby a mere two-game suspension to start the 2026 season. Under this ruling, the quarterback will sit out against Abilene Christian and Oregon State, clearing him to return in time for the matchup against Houston—a rivalry where the stakes, apparently, outweigh the consequences of betting.

It feels like we are watching a sport constructed on an enterprise of greed and corruption finally buckle under its own weight. Between billionaire donors controlling rosters, the transfer portal stripping away school spirit, and universities operating like hubs for fraud, one has to wonder: is college football even a sport anymore?

The Case for a Breakaway

Texas Tech was already gaining a reputation for housing the most toxic fans in college sports, and now they appear hellbent on testing the limits of the game's existence. The immediate response from Nebraska and Georgia was to instruct their coaches to remove Texas Tech from future schedules, but that is merely a band-aid on a gaping wound.

We have to ask: if the Red Raiders reach the College Football Playoff, will the committee really hold them accountable? The CFP set a precedent in 2023 with Michigan, essentially signaling that cheating is not a barrier to the postseason. If Texas Tech plays, every late-game interception will be viewed through the lens of a gambling investigation. This is the reality of a game where the integrity of the field is treated as a suggestion rather than a rule.

The Protect College Sports Act, currently being pushed by Texas Tech super booster Cody Campbell, seems dead in the water given opposition from the SEC and Big Ten. If Congress cannot clean up this mess, it is time to face the inevitable. The Super League has its casus belli, and it’s time to move toward a professionalized, breakaway future before what remains of the game disappears entirely.

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