Cincinnati upsets No. 8 Texas Tech 37-24 in Brendan Sorsby revenge game

Cincinnati beat No. 8 Texas Tech 37-24 on Saturday, handing the Red Raiders a loss that puts their Big 12 season in jeopardy. The Bearcats had circled the game for nearly a year, and the outcome was rarely in doubt after the opening minutes in Cincinnati.

Texas Tech trailed 24-6 at halftime after an offense that committed two turnovers and managed just six points in the first half. Cincinnati never truly looked threatened after the first 10 minutes. Head coach Joey McGuire turned to quarterback Will Hammond to lead the team after former quarterback Brendan Sorsby was ruled ineligible for the season because of a gambling situation.

The loss matters for a program that could not afford a conference defeat, particularly with BYU and Utah playing strongly across the Big 12. The Red Raiders' offense also appeared far less explosive than it was during the 2025 season, when the roster was built through the transfer portal at a cost that has been reported at more than $30 million.

The game carried extra weight because of the events that led to it. Sorsby left Cincinnati after the 2025 season and entered the transfer portal, and Texas Tech had been widely expected to sign him. Cincinnati then sued him over a buyout tied to a contract he had signed with the Bearcats, signaling that the former team would not make the move to Lubbock easy.

Shortly after arriving at Texas Tech, Sorsby became involved in an NCAA investigation tied to thousands of bets placed during his college career, some of them while he was on the Indiana roster. Law enforcement officials flagged the wagers and turned them over to the NCAA. Sorsby later entered treatment for a gambling addiction amid the investigation.

Sorsby then filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Lubbock district court, and an injunction was granted that would have allowed him to play this season for the Red Raiders. The ruling drew strong backlash across college athletics. The Big 12 searched for ways to punish Texas Tech and was prepared to file a federal lawsuit to enforce its own rules. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to Big 12 officials warning that the state would take the conference to court if it punished the school for playing Sorsby.

The conflict ultimately led Texas Tech to stop pushing for Sorsby to play, and the decision followed a court order. Sorsby's situation remained unresolved in the public record at the time of the game, and Texas Tech now faces a difficult stretch of the schedule, with the toughest remaining game on paper coming next week against Arizona.

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Caroline Mercer

World News Correspondent

Caroline Mercer covers public affairs, politics, business, culture and daily news for Core Memo. The role focuses on verification, context, and clear explanations for readers.

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