Steamboat Willie

Couple of biscuits shy of a TE.

I really think we received the worst seeding in Omaha we possibly could have gotten.

Current odds Brenden Sorsby is giving: Outcome IImplied Odds Current version passes largely intact +600 to +900 (10–15%) Passes after significant amendments +150 to +250 (30–40%) Fails, stalls, or gets pushed to a future Congress -120 to -180 (55–65%)

I don't disagree that the hardest part is still ahead. At this point, the bill's supporters have proven they can move legislation. The SEC and B1G still have to prove they can stop or significantly reshape it. Given their resources and influence, I wouldn't bet against them. But today is a reminder that political power and market power aren't always the same thing.

Why are the SEC and B1G issuing statements after the fact explaining why the bill is flawed instead of shaping the bill before it got this far?

The SEC and B1G may still win the war (and we all hope they do), but they clearly lost the opening rounds. The anti-expansion language survived, the TV pooling language survived, and the conferences publicly acknowledged that their key concerns were not addressed. That's not what winning looks like. Maybe, the SEC and the B1G throw their weight around and stop it. But if that happens, it will be because they finally engaged after the bill gained traction, not because they were ahead of it from the beginning.

The question is whether the SEC recognized the political threat early enough. Right now, the scoreboard says Campbell got his bill through committee and the SEC is issuing statements about why it doesn't like the result.

You're not wrong. Usually, when competitors team up and share control of something valuable, the law may see that as unfair. The difference here is that Congress may give them special permission to do it.

The Protect College Sports Act isn't so much about better governance as it is about limiting the schools that drive college athletics while protecting programs that have struggled to keep up. It's less about fairness and more about redistributing influence, wealth and leverage within the sport. That's one reason Cody Campbell has become one of its most vocal champions.

Well sh*t, sometimes the baseball gods just don’t smile on you.

If the Big 12 wins this lawsuit, Sorsby could still be allowed to play because of the Texas court order. What the Big 12 would win is the right to punish Texas Tech for choosing to play him. At that point, the question isn't can Sorsby play, it is whether Tech values having him on the field more than whatever penalties the conference decides to impose.

The most intersting aspect of the Big 12's filing is that it isn't asking the court whether Brendan Sorsby should be punished. The conference is asking a broader question: does the Big 12 have the right to govern itself and enforce its own bylaws? Courts are usually receptive to protecting the authority of a private membership organization to manage its internal affairs than they are to directly deciding a player's eligibility. That's why I think the conference's legal position may be stronger than Texas Tech supporters realize. At its core, this case is becoming less about one quarterback and more about whether a conference has the authority to police conduct that its members believe is harmful to the league.

Poor Sorsby, it is society’s fault.

3 since the weekend and 4 in total outstanding?

I could easily see a future where the SEC and Big Ten don't completely leave the NCAA, but instead create a separate football governance structure with: Their own eligibility rules Their own NIL framework Their own enforcement staff Their own gambling investigations and penalties Their own arbitration process outside of NCAA enforcement At some point, the question becomes: if the NCAA can't consistently enforce eligibility rules, gambling rules, or its own disciplinary decisions without courts stepping in, what exactly is it governing? The more that perception grows, the easier it becomes for the SEC and Big Ten to argue that they need their own football governance structure with their own rules, enforcement, and appeals process.