Good morning! 

    

Across The Big West, the new sport seasons are quickly gaining momentum. We are celebrating firsts and early highlights with four fall sports underway, recognizing our early Players of the Week and had the opportunity to showcase men’s water polo on a new broadcast platform over the weekend. We are also expanding the ways we tell The Big West story through new digital content and conversations. 

Beyond the competition, another consequential week in college athletics has brought additional eligibility litigation, conference-level efforts to address the return of former professional athletes, renewed momentum for the Protect College Sports Act and several important NCAA actions. There is plenty to celebrate—and much for all of us to consider. 

This week’s song honors the late, great Dolly Parton, whose extraordinary talent was matched by her generosity, optimism and ability to lift others. Her rendition of “We are the Champions/We Will Rock You” feels especially appropriate as another year of Big West competition gets underway. 

  

Let’s get to The Bold Type! 

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   THE BIG WEST – IN CASE YOU MISSED IT   

We got some W's in the chat across the conference – see what made the highlight reel: 

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   “JOURNEY OUT WEST” WITH DAN TORTORA   

Friday morning, Long Beach State women’s soccer student-athlete Aurora Schuck 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 our three Big Wins over the weekend! First, to Utah Valley women’s soccer, who picked up a Big Win over No. 17 Kansas on Thursday (Watch the video highlights >>>)! Then, UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball got the straight-set victory at Arizona and No. 12 UC San Diego men's water polo upended No. 8 Pepperdine 17-15 in overtime in the finale of the Triton Invitational on Sunday! 

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• To Long Beach State men’s water polo who was selected as the preseason favorite in The Big West! Read more >>> 
• 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 UC Santa Barbara men’s soccer for receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll! 
• To UC Santa Barbara women’s soccer for receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll! 
• To Cal Poly women's volleyball for receiving votes in the latest AVCA poll!
• To UC Santa Barbara Director of Athletics Kelly Barsky, who concludes her five-year term on the NCAA Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee after serving the past three years as chair. Kelly has represented The Big West and women’s basketball exceptionally well throughout her service. 
• My five-year term on the NCAA Council and Division I Cabinet also concludes September 1, as does my service on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee, including the past two years as chair. 
• And to our Players of the Week! 
  • Women's Soccer - Cherrie Cox, Long Beach State (offense); Aurora Schuck, Long Beach State (defense); Taylor Bellotti, Long Beach State (rookie) 
  • Men's Soccer - Zac Giles, Sacramento State (offense); Zenden Hart, Cal State Bakersfield (defense); Simone Ferrieri, UC Santa Barbara (rookie)

 

   CONGRATULATIONS, HENDERSON LITTLE LEAGUE!   

Congratulations to the players, coaches and families of Henderson Little League on an extraordinary run to the championship game. Although the final result did not go their way, this remarkable group represented Henderson—and the entire state of Nevada—with tremendous talent, determination and class. 

Henderson is the proud home of The Big West Basketball Championships, and all of us throughout The Big West celebrate this team and an unforgettable accomplishment. Well done! 

   THE BIG WEST EXPANDING BROADCAST COVERAGE AND GIVING OVERNGHT A LOOK   

The 2026 Big West men's water polo season began with a national showcase this weekend as UC San Diego hosted the 14-team Triton Invitational from Friday, Aug. 28 through Sunday, Aug. 30, at Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla, Calif.  Through The Big West's partnership with Overnght, a live streaming and digital content platform focused on Olympic and emerging sports, every match of the three-day tournament streamed live on the Overnght platform and is available on demand following the event. Fans can visit Overnght.com to learn more about subscription options and watch the match replays. 




   NEEDING A QUICK BIG WEST BASKETBALL FIX?   

Basket Under Review recently produced a quick synopsis of Big West basketball. It is well worth a minute of your time.

Looking for a fun mid-major league to watch this season? Why not the Big West?@2ndChancePoints explains his pick during the mid-major conference draft on the latest episode of STATS by Will & Jim. pic.twitter.com/SFha5SOGKz

— Basket Under Review (@basket_review) August 27, 2026

 

   “BOLD STEP FORWARD” WITH DAN TORTORA    

Dan Tortora and I launched “Bold Step Forward,” a new monthly segment within our broader partnership with WakeUpCall. 

In the inaugural episode, we discussed the national issues reshaping college athletics, the challenges facing conferences across Division I and what we hope to see as college sports moves forward. 

 

   FROM THE NCAA - TUESDAY LITIGATION UPDATE EXCERPT   

A state judge just permitted NFL players to come back and play against college athletes starting next week without even holding a hearing, never mind a trial. Another state judge has now issued an injunction that allows a former college basketball player who went on to play three NBA games to return to college basketball this year.  
 
There is one way to ensure college sports are played by college students and not pros looking for a fallback option: the Protect College Sports Act.

 

   FROM THE NCAA - WEDNESDAY LEGAL UPDATE   

This evening, the Tennessee Court of Appeals stayed the trial court's July 31, 2026, temporary injunction in Washington v. NCAA after considering "all the relevant factors and, in particular, the NCAA's likelihood of success on the merits based on the legal issues presented."  As a result, the injunction is no longer in effect while the appeal proceeds, and the 19 individual plaintiffs in the case no longer have the benefit of the trial court's order. 
 
We are encouraged that each of the three appellate courts to consider these injunctions has recognized the strength of the NCAA's legal arguments and the significant harm caused when ineligible student-athletes are permitted to compete. The decisions reaffirm the importance of preserving a level playing field for the thousands of student-athletes and member schools across Division I that are competing under the membership's rules. 
 
Consistent with our approach following the appellate decisions in Wisne and Borovicanin, we will notify courts across the country considering similar requests for injunctive relief of this important development.  The Association will separately continue to defend challenges brought by former student-athletes seeking additional eligibility and continue to pursue expedited appellate review of any injunctions that may be entered. 
 
The NCAA stands by the membership's eligibility rules and will continue to vigorously defend those decisions in courts across the country. 

Scott Bearby 
NCAA Chief Legal Officer 

  

One day after the NCAA circulated the preceding update, the Tennessee Court of Appeals stayed the trial court’s July 31 temporary injunction in Washington v. NCAA. 

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

• Sacramento State taps Altius Sports Partners to help conduct a comprehensive market assessment and financial analysis of its athletics revenue ecosystem that will evaluate both existing and emerging opportunities across ticket sales, sponsorships, parking, concessions, licensing, merchandise, pouring rights and other key commercial assets. (link) 
• Public outcry over the issue of pro athletes attempting to return to college sports is reportedly providing a boost to efforts to pass the Protect College Sports Act, per Semafor’s Burgess Everett. NCAA spokesman Tim Buckley said the “outrage” over the topic has “really changed some minds on Capitol Hill about the need for this legislation” and could help shore up support. “The events over the past week have been helpful to help us drive home the point. You don’t need to take our word for it or the conference’s word for it. This piece of legislation gives senators the ability to fix this problem for their constituents.” With Senators having pushed back the legislation’s consideration until September, Everett posits the delay might just improve the bill’s fortunes by helping it accrue 60 votes as the pro player controversy builds. Buckley adds: “The polls are really clear about this and you don’t need to be a political genius to understand it is wildly unpopular … to use college sports as a fallback.” (link)  
• The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Sun Belt have adopted—or are considering—conference-level measures intended to prevent individuals who pursued professional careers from returning to college competition. While the policies differ in scope and enforcement, several impose penalties on institutions and coaches rather than directly upon the athletes. The Big East is also discussing its eligibility standards. (link, link, link, link, link, link, link, link)  
• As Ross Dellenger notes, however, conference-level policies do not eliminate the possibility of legal challenges. Conferences could be named as defendants or face injunctions preventing enforcement, leaving institutional and conference leaders to determine whether—and how aggressively—to penalize schools that use athletes declared ineligible under conference rules. (link) 
• The 33 players who secured a TRO in Louisiana’s 19th District aren’t backing down after the SEC’s passage of a ban on pro players returning to college. (link) 
• The enforcement mechanisms behind the Big Ten and SEC bans “potentially signals the first step toward the long-gestating proposals within the Big Ten and SEC to shoulder enforcement policies under a new rules-and-enforcement model separate from the NCAA,” per CBS’ Matt Zenitz and Brandon Marcello, who note the conferences “have been preparing self-governance models in case legislation in Washington, D.C. fails to become law later this year.” (link) 
• Hawaii is proposing a student athletics fee increase from $50 to $125 per semester beginning in fall 2027. The increase is expected to generate approximately $2.49M in additional annual revenue, bringing total student fee support for athletics to about $4.15M. Rainbow Warriors AD Matt Elliott: “The student athletics fee has not increased since it was established in 2011, while the costs of operating a Division I athletics program have grown significantly. This additional support would help us address rising costs in areas such as recruiting, team travel, nutrition, medical care, academic support and facilities while providing the stable funding we need to remain competitive.” UH currently generates about $1.66M from the fee. (link) 
• The Division I Board of Directors unanimously approved emergency legislation authorizing the College Sports Commission to block noninstitutional NIL contracts if athletes refuse to provide sufficient documentation for review. The board also passed Proposal No. 2026-64 to ensure cap overages caused by incremental athletics scholarships do not count against an institution's benefits cap during the subsequent annual period. To offset mounting national office legal costs between FY26-28, the board approved a sweeping financial waiver redirecting enforcement fines away from the Student Assistance Fund. The board also introduced legislation recommended by the Division I Infractions Process Task Force to streamline investigations by deploying neutral administrators for disputes and simplifying resolution selections, while simultaneously halting the Membership Committee's push to develop specific criteria for a new autonomy subdivision. (link)