Good morning! 

  

A new season is officially underway across The Big West. 

Women’s soccer opened competition nearly two weeks ago, producing our first memorable performances and Players of the Week of the 2026–27 academic year. Last week, men’s soccer joined the action as programs across the conference began their pursuit of a Big West championship and the opportunity to compete on the national stage. 

There is always something special about the beginning of a new season. Records are clean, possibilities are unlimited, and student-athletes finally have the opportunity to put months of preparation into competition. This year’s opening carries even greater significance as California Baptist, Sacramento State and Utah Valley begin their inaugural seasons as members of The Big West.  

While many consequential issues continue to shape the future of college athletics—and we examine several of them in this week’s edition—the return of competition is an important reminder of why we do this work. It is about creating opportunities for student-athletes, supporting our coaches and campuses and celebrating the moments that bring our conference communities together.  

Music this week provided by “Hans Zimmer Live in Concert – The Ultimate Experience”. When you need a couple of hours of music, particularly without words to distract you, this is an amazing concert.  

  

Let’s get to The Bold Type. 

 

   THE BIG WEST – IN CASE YOU MISSED IT   

A quick recap of this week’s competition:

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   “JOURNEY OUT WEST” WITH DAN TORTORA   

From Aug. 14: California Baptist AD Dr. Micah Parker joined Wake Up Call with Dan Tortora’s “Journey Out West” podcast: "I would lose my mind if I was focusing on we have to be the same as this Power 4 school over here that has a $300M athletic budget. That just doesn't make sense and it's a waste of time for us. We have to compete, do the best we possibly can with where we're at. .... Football costs a lot of money, that's for sure. And out West, there's more Division I schools that don't have football than those that do, especially in California. So we are blessed to be in a conference that's similar in a lot of those ways." (link) 

Last Friday morning, Aug. 21, Cal Poly President and chair of The Big West Board of Directors Jeff Armstrong was the special guest of Dan Tortora:

Wake Up Call starts at 6 a.m. PT daily, with Journey Out West each Friday. MIXLR Internet Radio | YouTube | Facebook 

 

   CONGRATULATIONS!  
 

• To Utah Valley University Director of Athletics Jared Sumsion for reportedly hitting a hole in one during a UVU golf event! I say reportedly, as we do not see the ball go in the hole, Jared. ;) 

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• To Long Beach State men’s water polo which is the highest ranked Big West program in the CWPA preseason rankings! 
  • 7. Long Beach State
  • 12. UC San Diego
  • T-13. UC Irvine
  • T-13. California Baptist
  • 15. UC Santa Barbara
• To former Big West Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and current NBA player Ajay Mitchell, whom UC Santa Barbara is hired as its men’s basketball general manager! CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reports that Mitchell will help guide program advancement while serving as a mentorship resource for current Gaucho student-athletes. Read more >>> 
• Players of the Week 
  • Women's Soccer - Mia Jackson, Sacramento State (offense); Aurora Schuck, Long Beach State (defense); Allison Craycroft, Cal State Fullerton (rookie) 

 

   THE BIG WEST PARTNERS WITH OVERNGHT TO SHOWCASE TRITON INVITATIONALS   

The Big West is expanding its commitment to showcasing elite-level water polo, announcing an agreement with Overnght, a live streaming and digital content platform focused on Olympic and emerging sports, to provide coverage of the 2026 Triton Invitational men's water polo tournament and the 2027 Triton Invitational women's water polo tournament, both hosted by UC San Diego. Read more >>> 




   GET READY FOR 2026 BIG WEST WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL!   

First serve in the 2026 Big West women's volleyball season is this Friday, and defending champion Cal Poly has been slated as the preseason favorites in The Big West coaches' poll, unveiled on Friday along with the preseason team. Read more >>>

Fans can get ready for the season with a new and innovative approach to team-by-team preseason previews. Beginning this weekend, analysis and insights from the tandem of Chloe Clark and Rob Espero will hit The Big West's social media accounts with full coach interviews appearing daily on YouTube in reverse poll order for even more insider information before the 2026 campaign begins. Get connected and keep an eye on The Big West's social channels each evening! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube 

 

   PROTECT COLLEGE SPORTS ACT MAY RECEIVE A SECOND SEPTEMBER OPPORTUNITY   

During a meeting of conference commissioners last Thursday, Senators Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) provided a cautiously optimistic update regarding the Protect College Sports Act and its potential consideration when the Senate returns in September. 

The Senate’s passage of a continuing resolution funding the federal government through December 11 has created more room on the September calendar than previously anticipated. The Protect College Sports Act is currently expected to be among the first measures considered after the Senate returns following Labor Day. If another bill scheduled ahead of it does not have sufficient support to advance, the college sports legislation could move quickly into consideration. 

Both senators emphasized that September may represent the final realistic opportunity to enact comprehensive federal legislation before the midterm elections. Senator Schmitt expressed confidence that sufficient support exists to pass the bill but cautioned that the vote count must be solidified before senators return to Washington. Although some technical modifications remain possible, he warned that reopening major provisions could unravel the bipartisan coalition developed through months of negotiations. 

The message was unmistakable: Congress may have one final opportunity to replace continued litigation and conflicting state laws with a consistent national framework. If the legislation does not advance in September, both the political calendar and the approaching elections could make another opportunity increasingly unlikely. 

 

   ELIGIBILITY LITIGATION CONTINUES TO EXPAND   

On Friday, the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled 2-1 to grant the NCAA’s stay request in the Wisne case, meaning the injunction issued by Judge Charlotte Sweeney for Class of 2022 athletes has been stayed. (link, link)  

The affected class primarily consists of Division I student-athletes who began collegiate competition during the 2022–23 academic year, participated in four consecutive seasons and are seeking an additional season under the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility framework. 

Since the stay is granted, the injunction will not remain in effect while the NCAA’s underlying appeal proceeds.  

At the same time, new cases are challenging nearly every component of the NCAA’s eligibility structure. These include claims involving: 

• Student-athletes seeking a fifth season after beginning competition in 2022–23; 

• The inclusion of junior college participation in the four-season limit; 

• Previous participation in professional competition; and 

• NCAA transfer and portal requirements. 

Several state courts recently issued temporary restraining orders involving groups of student-athletes without first providing the NCAA an opportunity to respond.  Institutions are advised to require any student-athlete claiming protection under an injunction to provide the applicable court order for review by institutional counsel because the scope of each order differs. 

  
   MEDIA REPORTS ON THE BIG WEST, NCAA,  LEGAL AND LEGISLATIVE UPDATES   

• Sacred Cow BBQ publisher/Colorado State FAR Kyle Saunders analyzes the latest political maneuvering, labor debates and internal industry fractures surrounding the Protect College Sports Act after Senate Commerce Committee majority staff issued a memo to FBS football programs following the bill's failure to clear a Senate hotline before recess. More… 
  • On the memo directly lobbying FBS coaches to bypass administrative channels: "The first bullet writes off the channel the sponsors spent all summer building. 'Another institutional form letter' is what the SEC, the Big Ten, the ACC, the Big 12, the NCAA, four professional leagues, two players’ unions and the USOPC have been producing since June. The people who collected those endorsements are now telling coaches the endorsements aren't working. ... A head coach is the only figure in college sports with institutional loyalty and an independent microphone. Going around the commissioners to the coaches is the sponsors reaching for the one voice inside the industry that can't be told to sit down." 
  • On Senate committee staff attempting to counter internal college sports momentum toward collective bargaining: "The long labor section names Tennessee AD Danny White [as the proponent of collective bargaining]. Nobody rebutting [Sen.] Chris Murphy (D-CT) cites a Tennessee athletic director, or specifies that he made his case in SEC meetings. That sentence was written for people who know who Danny White is and care what happens in that room. The collective bargaining push that worries [Sen. Ted] Cruz's (R-TX) staff enough to spend a page and a half on it, is not coming from the Senate. It's coming from inside college sports." 
  • On athlete representation and structural protections in the draft text: "Measured against the current free-for-all, a student-athlete is better protected under this bill in most of the ways that don't involve the size of the check. The case against it is stronger, not worse, for saying so. The athletes are really just not at the right table." (link) 
• In an op-ed urging Congress to pass the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act, New York Yankees (MLB) President/Saving College Sports Roundtable Vice Chair Randy Levine outlines the existential financial threats facing collegiate athletics and systematically pushes back against key political and industry opposition. More… 
  • “The AFL-CIO continues to oppose the legislation based on the premise that collective bargaining can and should be the solution to college athletics’ problems. … More than 80% of Division I universities are public institutions. If their student athletes were classified as employees, they would generally be employees of state institutions. The National Labor Relations Act does not cover state employees, and in many states, public employees face restrictions on collective bargaining, negotiating wages and benefits, or striking. To establish a nationwide collective-bargaining system for college athletes at public universities would therefore require significant changes to federal and state law. Whether this Congress is prepared to reopen or will reopen fundamental provisions of the New Deal-era National Labor Relations Act is highly questionable.” 
  • “A group of Republican senators and interest groups argues that the bill could result in the reversal of state laws that prohibit men from competing in women’s sports. … States that prohibit such participation would continue to do so, while states that do not have such prohibitions would remain free to set their own policies. These opponents’ argument is therefore not based on what the bill actually says, but on the possibility that some judge could someday interpret the law differently. … Their position appears to be: Hold college sports hostage because a judge, somewhere, someday, might interpret the plain language of the bill differently.” 
  • On pushback from the Congressional Black Caucus and NAACP: “There is no question that voting rights are fundamental to our democracy and deserve the highest level of attention. But tying the future of college athletics to an effort to overturn a Supreme Court decision is unfair to the thousands of student athletes who could lose their sports, scholarships, educational opportunities, critical health and safety protections and their ability to earn money through their athletic talents.” (link) 
• Officials from or representing Miami, Florida State, Clemson and Stanford expressed varying degrees of opposition to the Protect College Sports Act’s anti-expansion provision leading up to legislation’s failed attempt to garner a Senate vote on August 8. Writing for On3, Ross Dellenger opines that that opposition means the bill's expansion provision, which would cap power league membership at 19 and require schools moving from one power league to another to operate as an independent for five years, might require an overhaul. “There are suggestions of decreasing the five-year probationary period. Or eliminating the provision five years after the bill’s enactment. This would permit schools to freely move leagues by 2031 if the bill is enacted into law this year.” In addition, there are other bill provisions in the crosshairs of the revisionists. Dellenger adds: “For instance, co-authors may in some way address the transgender issue raised in an amendment from Sens. Josh Hawley, Tommy Tuberville and Jim Banks. … Will these changes (and others) sway enough lawmakers to generate overwhelming support (65-70 Senate ‘yes’ votes) to pressure the House into taking the bill seriously?” More. (link) 
• Per The Texas Trial Group, the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Santa Clara today granted a group of 70-plus student-athletes’ hearing stipulation and motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, enjoining the NCAA from enforcing its bylaws to prevent the plaintiffs from competing during the 2026-27 season on the basis that they’ve already competed in four seasons of competition. Full order. (link) 
• The Ohio Court of Appeals has granted the NCAA's motion to stay the injunction granted in Borovicanin v. NCAA, according to Boise State professor Sam Ehrlich, who adds: “This ruling affects the player-plaintiffs in this case. Important to note that they're still eligible under the broader Wisne injunction, pending, of course, that motion to stay as well.” (link) 
• The NCAA says in a statement: “The NCAA argued and the Ohio Court of Appeals agreed the injunction harms the thousands of college athletes and member schools across Division I who are playing by the rules. The new model is clear: It ensures college sports are played by college students while allowing opportunities for future generations of students to access the life-changing benefits of college sports participation. We appreciate the court’s recognition of the harm caused by the injunction and the substantial arguments we have presented in favor of reversal, and we look forward to fully arguing the merits of the case in the future." 
• Emory (DIII) men’s basketball student-athlete Benjamin Pearce has filed a class action lawsuit against the NCAA seeking a fifth season of eligibility for DII and DIII student-athletes in the high school class of 2022 looking to compete in DI this season. Pearce is requesting the U.S. District Court for Southern California provide the same relief granted by the Wisne injunction. From the filing: “Plaintiff Pearce, like the rest of the Class, is now in limbo. He properly entered the Transfer Portal; he garnered interest from Division I schools; he was extended invitations of interest to play a fifth year at Division I schools; and the NCAA, without reason or justification, pulled the rug out from under him (and others).” (link) 
• NCAA SVP of External Affairs Tim Buckley has released the following statement concerning a Louisiana state court’s TRO for several players who signed with NFL teams this summer. "Courts across the country granting relief to ineligible athletes who already had every opportunity to compete in college — sometimes without even having a hearing — are failing to appreciate the destabilizing effect their rulings are having on college sports. The lawyers bringing these cases seemingly won't be satisfied until every professional athlete can treat college sports as a fallback option, regardless of the opportunities it strips from those who will never have a chance to begin their collegiate sports experience." (link) 
• UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk formally transferred control of the university's trademark and logo licensing rights from the student-run ASUCLA to the central administration, unwinding a 60-year agreement to optimize commercial merchandising and fortify athletic department revenues, according to The California Post's Ben Bolch. The news comes after a February audit revealed ASUCLA had accrued over $40M in campus debt and underpaid the athletic department by roughly $68,500 in domestic royalties. Under the previous revenue-sharing model, ASUCLA generated $3.8M in FY24 royalty revenue but distributed just $1.1M to athletics. Former UCLA CFO Stephen Agostini on how the legacy arrangement hindered the university: "The inability to access those revenues means we have one less tool in the tool kit to address the spending — not just in athletics but anywhere on campus." (link) 
• A group of over 24 physicians and scientists sent a letter to NCAA President Charlie Baker, the NCAA Sport Science Institute, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, and all 16 Big 12 university presidents/chancellors asking for an independent health review of the Big 12–Monster Energy sponsorship agreement, particularly as it relates to the youth-facing placement of energy-drink branding alongside college athletes. From the group’s Change.org petition: “More than 80% of youth are exposed to energy drink marketing, yet fewer than one-third see warnings about the health risks of these products. Caffeine-related emergency department visits have doubled among children and teens since 2017, according to an Epic Research analysis. Rare but fatal cardiac events have been reported in young Americans and athletes linked to energy drink consumption. … U.S. poison-center surveillance documented 10,588 exposures over three years, including 14 life-threatening outcomes and an adolescent arrhythmic death.” (link, link)