Even though former quarterback Brendan Sorsby was obviously not on the field today for No. 8 Texas Tech, the Cincinnati Bearcats had this game circled on the calendar for nearly an entire year.

Call it a revenge game for what had taken place leading up to the 2026 season, or the Red Raiders finally running into a team that could present a viable challenge, this expensive roster that was assembled through the transfer portal ran into a buzz saw on Saturday afternoon.

The reality check for this Texas Tech football team took place in the first half, trailing 24-6 as both teams ran into the locker room after what was an eye-opening performance by the Red Raiders offense with two turnovers and just six points.

Cincinnati would end up winning 37-24, in a game that never truly felt close after the opening 10 minutes.

And, for a squad that could not afford a Big 12 loss like this with how BYU and Utah are currently playing, the uncomfortable truth is that head coach Joey McGuire had to rely on quarterback Will Hammond to lead this football team after Brendan Sorsby was ruled ineligible for the season due to his gambling situation.

But most importantly, the Red Raiders are just not as explosive as what we saw in 2025.

For a lot of college football fans, they will look at this result as karma for making their Big 12 colleagues file a federal lawsuit in order to scare Texas Tech enough to end the charade surrounding Sorsby suiting up for the Red Raiders this season.

But there was no denying what type of beating we all witnessed on Saturday in Cincinnati, where the Red Raiders looked like a mediocre football team that had spent more than $35 million on their roster this season in hopes of competing for a CFP title.

Well, unless the Big 12 sees an absolute meltdown over the next 45 days, Texas Tech will undoubtedly be looking back at this performance on the road as the culprit for its season taking a drastic turn.

Even though Sorsby wasn’t on the field, Cincinnati had plenty of motivation

Following the 2025 season, the former Bearcats quarterback decided it was in his best interest to enter the transfer portal and cash in on his play on the field.

It was no secret within the college football world that Texas Tech had all but officially signed Sorsby towards the end of last season.

So, when the Bearcats athletic department decided to sue Brendan for a buyout tied to a contract signed with Cincinnati, it was clear that his former team was not going to make the transition to Lubbock an easy one.

Turns out, just a few months after arriving at Texas Tech, Sorsby was embroiled in an NCAA investigation tied to thousands of bets placed during his college career, with a number of them coming while he was on the roster at Indiana. These bets were flagged by law enforcement officials, who then turned them over to the NCAA.

Just before summer officially got underway, Sorsby filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Lubbock district court, where an injunction was granted that would have allowed him to suit up this season for the Red Raiders. Then came the backlash from across college athletics, with the Big 12 conference searching for ways in which it could possibly punish Texas Tech.

Things had gotten so tense around the situation between the Red Raiders and its conference that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to Big 12 officials, warning them that if the conference were to punish the school for playing Sorsby, the state would take them to court in return.

The Big 12 was prepared to file a federal lawsuit in order to enforce its own rules, which obviously scared Texas Tech enough to finally fold its hand and make the decision to not continue pushing for Sorsby to play thanks to a court order.

But through all of the nonsense around the school and conference, it was Cincinnati that still had a lawsuit against its former quarterback.

Texas Tech found out the hard way about its Big 12 problem

Thanks to plenty of teams sitting atop the conference currently, with No. 14 Houston facing No. 10 Utah tonight, and No. 2 BYU making a major statement over the past seven weeks, the Red Raiders would ultimately find themselves on the outside looking in.

A roster that mega-booster Cody Campbell touted in the offseason now finds itself staring down the barrel of a season that doesn’t involve the CFP, unless the Red Raiders can find themselves playing for a conference title.

Could Texas Tech stay in contention within the Big 12?

Sure, given the toughest game on paper will come next week against Arizona.

But, the Red Raiders are now in very dangerous territory with an expensive roster.