The Big 12's latest fight has moved from the football field to the courtroom. As the conference sues Texas and Attorney General Ken Paxton over the Brendan Sorsby controversy, Oklahoma State and the rest of the league are caught in a battle they never asked for.
Do you agree with this decision by the Big 12?
When Oklahoma State transitioned from the Big 8 to the Big 12, nobody imagined one day conference bylaws would be debated in courtrooms and attorneys general would be weighing in on football matters.
Yet here we are.
What began as a controversy surrounding Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby's eligibility has now escalated into something much bigger. After reports surfaced that some Big 12 administrators were discussing possible sanctions against Texas Tech, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton warned that any punishment against the Red Raiders would be unlawful. The conference responded by filing suit against both the state of Texas and Paxton.
Think about that for a second.
A football conference is now suing a state government in the state where they have their league headquarters.
The issue stopped being about Sorsby weeks ago.
It has become a battle over who actually controls college athletics.
Is it the NCAA?
The conferences?
State governments?
Or the courts?
For Oklahoma State, the entire situation feels bizarre because the Cowboys had nothing to do with creating it.
Eric Morris is trying to establish a new era of football in Stillwater. Chad Weiberg is trying to position Oklahoma State to compete in an ever-changing landscape. Fans are excited about Drew Mestemaker, Wyatt Young and the possibility of returning to the Big 12 Championship Game.
Instead, everyone is talking about lawsuits.
That's not what anyone signed up for.
The irony is that Oklahoma State could be directly affected. The Cowboys are scheduled to host Texas Tech on Nov. 14 in what many believe could be one of the biggest games on the conference schedule. Assuming Sorsby's injunction remains in place, Oklahoma State may face a Red Raiders team led by the very quarterback whose case sparked this entire controversy.
And while the focus has shifted to the legal battle, the real losers are the schools that had nothing to do with it.
Kansas State.
Iowa State.
BYU.
Arizona.
Oklahoma State.
And the list goes on.
Programs trying to win football games are now caught in a fight involving judges, lawyers and politicians.
Maybe this is simply the new reality of college athletics.
But it's hard not to think about how far things have drifted.
College football Saturdays used to be decided on the field.
Now, increasingly, they're being shaped in court. Anything goes.
Want something settled? Just go to the courts until you have the outcome you want.
And that wasn't part of the schedule anyone expected.
