Good morning and Happy Labor Day! 

    

Last week was an emotional one for me, with meaningful highs—celebrating the accomplishments of our teams, staff and student-athletes throughout The Big West—and a frightening low as we nearly lost a close friend of the conference.    

My digital jukebox has followed that emotional arc through the music of the great Billy Joel, moving from “Turn the Lights Back On" to “Angry Young Man", “Pressure” (LINK) and, as we approach the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on our nation, “New York State of Mind".  

One of the continuing challenges for all of us in competitive athletics is to keep our emotions in perspective, care for the people around us and keep moving forward in service to our student-athletes. 

Becky Lee, I am profoundly grateful you are still with us.  

  

Let’s get to The Bold Type.

. 

 

   THE BIG WEST – IN CASE YOU MISSED IT   

Chloe Clark highlights the big plays and big wins from the weekend: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Big West (@bigwestsports)

 

   CONGRATULATIONS!  
 

• To our two Big Wins over the weekend as The Big West women's volleyball teams took down two Big 12 opponents! First, Sacramento State swept through Texas Tech at home on Friday [watch the highlights >>>]. Then, Long Beach State secured a five-set road win at Utah who was receiving votes in the latest AVCA poll on Saturday night!  

  View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Big West (@bigwestsports)

  View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Big West (@bigwestsports)

   
• To UC Santa Barbara Women’s Basketball HC Bonnie Henrickson who has been appointed to the eight-member Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament Selection Committee!  Read more >>> 
• To the 10 Big West institutions included in TIME’s recently published “America’s Best Colleges 2026–27” rankings! The Big West is highlighted by three institutions in the Top 50 and five in the Top 200 among the 500 colleges and universities recognized for excellence in student outcomes, learning environment and attractiveness to students.
  • 35. UC San Diego
  • 38. Cal Poly
  • 43. UC Santa Barbara
  • 118. UC Irvine
  • 180. Long Beach State
  • 219. CSUN
  • 321. Cal State Fullerton
  • 354. Cal State Bakersfield
  • 425. Sacramento State
  • 430. California Baptist
• To UC Santa Barbara men’s soccer, ranked No. 21, and UC Irvine, which received votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll! 
• To Cal Poly women's volleyball for receiving votes in the latest AVCA poll!
• To our men’s water polo programs ranked nationally in the CWPA poll this week! 
  • 7. Long Beach State
  • 8. UC San Diego
  • T-13. UC Irvine
  • T-13. UC Santa Barbara
  • T-16. California Baptist 
• And to our AMAZING Players of the Week! 
  • Women's Soccer - Candace Ching, Sacramento State (offense); Mikayla O’Brien, California Baptist  (defense); Bella D’Amico, California Baptist  (rookie) 
  • Men's Soccer - Nil Grau, Utah Valley (offense); Toke Amtrup, Utah Valley (defense); Javier Bedolla Vera, UC Irvine (rookie)
  • Women's Volleyball - Sophia Wendlick, UC Santa Barbara (offfensive); Iye Okolo, CSUN (defensive); Alexis Haury, Cal Poly (setter); Nalanie Neal, California Baptist (rookie)
  • Men's Water Polo - Corbin Stanley, Long Beach State

 

 

   “JOURNEY OUT WEST” WITH DAN TORTORA   

Friday's guest with Dan Tortora was Angie Allen, Big West Assistant Commissioner for Compliance and Student-Athlete Engagement.

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

   2026 WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PREVIEWS REACH NEW AUDIENCES!   

 Innovation can produce meaningful results. Our redesigned women’s volleyball previews have generated strong digital engagement across multiple platforms. 

As of September 3, this season’s social-first approach with no ESPN+ segment has produced: 

• 1,463 YouTube views (shorts) 

• 1,317 YouTube views (coach and player interviews) 

• 2,301 Instagram interactions (feed and story) - likes, reactions, saves & shares 

• 4,004 TikTok views 

• 3,036 Twitter/X views 

= 12,817 total views altogether 

  

In addition, the previews generated an Instagram reach of 64,508, demonstrating the significantly expanded visibility created by this season’s social-first approach. 

By comparison, the 2025 previews generated 3,844 combined ESPN+ and YouTube viewers or views through December 18. 

While the platforms and measurements are not identical, the expanded reach demonstrates the value of meeting audiences where they are and presenting our content in formats designed for each platform. 

Great work by our staff in developing this new concept—and especially by Chloe Clark for hosting and editing the institutional previews! 

 

   THANK YOU TO ALL FOR SUPPORTING THE BIG WEST ON COLLEGE COLORS DAY!    

Fans of The Big West truly show their spirit when it comes to their favorite athletic program, and the engagement on our social media initiatives for College Colors Day on Friday were exceptionally strong.  Please, continue to carry that spirit throughout the upcoming academic year, as our student-athletes love your support and it's never too late to tell us what college colors you are repping!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Big West (@bigwestsports)

 

   MARK YOU CALENDAR – BIG WEST BASKETBALL PREVIEWS ON OCTOBER 1   

The Big West tips off the 2026-27 basketball season with six hours of live interviews, conversation and analysis when the Big West Men’s and Women’s Basketball Previews return to The Field of 68 on Thursday, October 1. Read more >>> 

 

   THE NEXT TWO WEEKS MAY DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF COLLEGE SPORTS   

Last Tuesday, I participated in a national meeting regarding the Protect College Sports Act with more than 120 university presidents, nearly 60 governing board members and chairs, more than 30 conference commissioners, United States Senators Maria Cantwell and Eric Schmitt, legendary coach Nick Saban, White House College Sports Commission Chair Randy Levine and many others working to preserve the future of college athletics. 

The message could not have been clearer: the next two weeks are critical. 

Before the Senate began its August recess, Senate leadership committed to placing the Protect College Sports Act second in the legislative queue when senators return to Washington. Depending on the time required to address the first scheduled measure, the college sports legislation could reach the Senate floor during the first or second week of the September session. 

The immediate objective is not simply to secure the 60 votes needed to advance the bill. Supporters are seeking a decisive bipartisan vote that would send a powerful message to the House of Representatives. A narrow Senate margin could encourage the House to reopen and substantially revise the legislation. A vote approaching 70 or more senators would demonstrate that restoring stability to college athletics is not a partisan issue—it is a national priority. 

No one involved in Tuesday’s discussion suggested the legislation is perfect. In fact, Senators Cantwell and Schmitt acknowledged that minor revisions may still occur. Those discussions are focused primarily on clarifying the treatment of pending litigation and state authority, along with possible refinements to provisions involving conference membership and movement. 

However, the essential framework is largely complete. 

The legislation would establish national standards governing eligibility, transfers, name, image and likeness agreements, revenue sharing and enforcement. It would provide the limited antitrust protection necessary to apply those standards nationally; protect scholarships and student-athlete health benefits; support women’s and Olympic sports; and create greater financial stability for colleges and universities. It also would establish a commission through which the more complicated and longer-term issues facing college athletics could continue to be evaluated. 

Most importantly, the legislation would protect student-athletes. 

One university president participating in the meeting cited federal education data demonstrating the relationship between repeated transfers and declining graduation rates. Coach Saban spoke passionately about the importance of developing the person, the student and the athlete—and how a system built around annual movement and immediate financial decisions can work against all three. 

There are student-athletes who enter the transfer portal but never find another opportunity. Their stories rarely generate headlines. There are also hundreds of thousands of student-athletes whose sports and scholarships depend upon an athletics model that can continue to support broad-based opportunities. 

The recent attempts by former professional athletes to return to college competition illustrate how far the current system has drifted. A decade ago, the prospect of a professional athlete returning to compete against college students would have been almost unimaginable. Today, eligibility standards are increasingly being determined through individual lawsuits and state court decisions. 

Even conferences seeking to establish reasonable eligibility requirements may lack the legal authority to enforce them without becoming the target of another lawsuit. That is why congressional action—and the limited antitrust protection contained in this legislation—is essential. Neither the NCAA, individual conferences nor institutional leaders can solve a national legal problem through voluntary action alone. 

The financial consequences are equally serious. Institutions across Division I are being forced to consider redirecting resources from academics, research, student services and other university priorities to keep pace with an athletics spending environment that has no enforceable national boundaries. That trajectory is not sustainable for the wealthiest athletics departments, much less the overwhelming majority of Division I institutions. 

For The Big West, this debate has never been about protecting a particular business model or resisting appropriate benefits for student-athletes. It is about establishing a national framework that protects those benefits while preserving educational opportunity, broad-based athletics and a meaningful voice for conferences and institutions beyond the highest-resource tier. 

The Protect College Sports Act will not resolve every challenge confronting college athletics. No single piece of legislation could. 

But it can stop the continued fragmentation of the national system, establish enforceable rules and give college athletics the stability necessary to address the remaining issues thoughtfully rather than through an endless succession of lawsuits, conflicting state laws and emergency decisions. 

The Senate now has an opportunity to act. 

It may not receive another one.   

 

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

• Sacramento State President Dr. Luke Wood announces plans to add a “brand new track immediately after football season,” with completion expected prior to the spring’s track events. Wood adds: “We will share more on cost, location, track type, coloring in a couple months.” (link, link) 
• The True Cost of Div I Athletics (and how it’s paid) (LINK) 
• The Scholarship Trap: Financial Condition in NCAA Division II (LINK) 
• In their latest Candid Coaches feature, CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander surveyed nearly 100 Division I men's basketball coaches, inquiring if they’d ever seriously wondered (or known) if one of their players was compromised because of gambling. Overall, 73% of the respondents answered no, with one anonymous coach putting it succinctly: “No, but I probably should have.” More key insights… 
  • Parrish and Norlander’s main takeaway – almost 25% of coaches having seriously wondered if at least one of their players has been on the take is “an ALARMING ratio, and an honest return on something that should capture the attention of everyone across college basketball.” Approximately a dozen coaches the authors spoke with also “brought up something that's simultaneously obvious and yet still under-discussed: Eliminating the possibility of players fixing games or artificially adjusting their own stat lines to clear a bet needs to consistently be at the top of the priority list in college athletics. … If a sport does not carry true credibility of its competitions, then it has nothing. If the games are proven or presumed to be compromised due to crooked participants, everything falls apart.” 
  • “I'm cognizant of it, very cognizant of it, and if I thought it was going on, I would turn the player in. I think this should be on the top of the list of what we're concerned about. Guys who get caught speeding, it's not the only time they've ever sped. All this stuff's going on. If you add it up with the NBA and college the past two years, there's a lot of instances. So there's probably more that weren't reported." 
  • “Never in the moment. After the fact, once the Temple allegations from a few years ago surfaced, it was a retroactive wondering of what games were actually compromised. Being in the same league at the time and having conference tournament seedings based on those outcomes over the course of that season — and with careers being tied to results — makes for a lot of unanswered questions. Were they trying to win when we played them? Would they have been seeded that way in the conference tournament if they would have tried to win every game? Wild stuff." (link)  
• NCAA Lead Outside Counsel Rakesh Kilaru visited with Tulane Sports Law Program Director Gabe Feldman on the SportsWise podcast. Here are some key takeaways… 
  • On why early antitrust challenges lost momentum in federal appellate courts: “Antitrust cases have evidentiary requirements and the plaintiffs really were not meeting those. ... There's this old line, it's a standard line of antitrust law, but antitrust law is about competition, not competitors. So, one competitor can't come in and say, ‘I'm being excluded from the market. I'm being harmed. That's an antitrust case.’ They have to show that something's happening market-wide. They have to show that wages are being suppressed. They have to show that there's not enough opportunities that we're holding back output or roster spots in the context of college sports.” 
  • As for the legal flaws of state-level breach of contract claims against the NCAA manual: “The theory is the NCAA manual is a contract with student-athletes. ... We don't think it's true. It's actually a membership agreement between schools and the NCAA about how they should conduct college sports from a membership organization perspective. … The theory is somehow that student-athletes who competed for four years under one version of the manual and got everything they got under that manual, that somehow the NCAA has breached their contract by having a new contract going forward, a new manual with a new rule. ... It is like going to a car dealership and buying a car, and then a month later the new model comes out and going back to the dealer and saying, 'Hey, you breached my contract. I want the new car.' ... If you have a contract and you get everything you thought you were going to get under the contract, you have received the benefits of the contract. You don't get to sue saying, ‘I want someone else's contract that I like better than mine.’" (link) 
• Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger indicates the SEC plans to comply with the state court order in Louisiana that would allow former pro players to return to the college gridiron & hardwood. More Dellenger: “However, it does not end litigation or necessarily mean the league won't in the future impose penalties through other legal mechanisms, such as a suit in federal court, or if the SEC wins in trial.” (link) 
• High-ranking SEC university executives are reportedly exploring legal and internal channels with the intention of addressing LSU’s plans to add former pro athletes to its rosters, per Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, who notes possible extreme measures include boycotting competition against the Tigers; sanctioning the school with probation or even expulsion; and/or filing a federal legal challenge. One school staff member with knowledge of the discussions on the potential penalties the Bayou Bengals could face: “The risk is enormous for LSU.” More… 
  • Over the last 36-48 hours, increasing conversations among 15 school executives – without LSU – have signaled a certain aggressive approach. Those discussions are being described as "not league driven, but membership led,” and what avenues the conference or its members might ultimately pursue remain unclear. For some, the answer is the conference's ultimate and unprecedented penalty: expulsion or a membership probation with one anonymous league stakeholder remarking: “It is fair to say we are discussing multiple options, including that. Enough is enough. This is ridiculous.” Another high-ranking SEC school leader took it a step further: "There are plenty of other schools that would take [LSU's] place." 
  • Other options under consideration include individual institutions refusing to play a program that "rosters an ineligible player based on SEC rules," described one person with knowledge of the talks. "We can't make anyone play them." At the center of the debate among the league’s presidents is the status of their "sovereign immunity," a right under the Eleventh Amendment that provides public universities with legal protections. The approach is seen as the first test of a potential self-governance framework, and while the concept, in theory, may limit legal challenges, permitting a school to break a league-wide rule, such as the pro-player ban, without repercussions would shatter any hope in such a model in the future. (link) 
• The SEC Executive Committee will enforce conference regulations barring former NFL players from returning to college despite ongoing eligibility litigation involving LSU, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. Tennessee Chancellor/SEC Executive Committee Chair Donde Plowman confirmed conference presidents voted to empower Commissioner Greg Sankey with the ability to impose penalties on non-compliant programs, including half-season head coach suspensions and the forfeiture of 50% of a sport's annual budget. Georgia President Jere Morehead added that maintaining eligibility standards serves as a critical test of the 16-member league's authority to self-govern. Plowman: "We have a responsibility to try and lead the best we can in this time of chaos. Our group is united on this. This is not a rule we will budge on. … It's not a new rule. We didn't just cook up a rule. ... We are a voluntary membership organization, and we have a right to set and enforce our rules. ... This is about -- if you signed a contract, you signed a contract. That's always been the bottom line. You don't get to unsign it and come back." (link) 
• The SEC subsequently filed a federal lawsuit against LSU, its Board of Supervisors, President Wade Rousse, Athletics Director Verge Ausberry and Head Football Coach Lane Kiffin, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent the institution from violating the conference’s rules prohibiting former professional athletes from returning to collegiate competition. The conference argues that LSU’s actions threaten competitive fairness, public confidence and the SEC’s ability to operate as a voluntary association. (LINK) 
• Later Thursday, Louisiana Judge William Jorden granted a preliminary injunction providing relief to more than 40 athletes challenging NCAA and SEC eligibility restrictions. The group includes potential LSU transfers Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris. The injunction prevents the NCAA and SEC from enforcing the challenged restrictions against the covered athletes while the litigation proceeds, clearing a path for them to return to college competition. It is not a final ruling on the merits, and the NCAA and SEC may appeal or seek a stay. With LSU’s football roster due Saturday, the university now faces a consequential decision whether to add Wright and Harris—and potentially trigger a direct confrontation with its conference. (LINK) 
• Sports business consultant/College Sports Council member Mark Ganis joined Puck Sports Media Correspondent John Ourand on The Varsity podcast to discuss federal college athletics legislation as he believes: “This desperately needs to get approved because if it does not, college sports may very well implode because of its own inabilities to be able to operate in a consistent manner with all of the great inconsistencies of court decisions being made in different jurisdictions around the country.” More from Ganis… 
  • On skyrocketing college spending draining university academic funds: “You've got the ultra-important matter, which is the incredible amount of money that is being spent on college football and college basketball that is squeezing out all of the other sports, women's sports, non-revenue sports, Olympic sports. ... Many of the universities, the athletic departments, which used to make money for the academic and student affairs parts of universities are now actually draining and they have to increase student fees and take money from academics in order to be able to pay for the athletic departments. This is an untenable situation and cannot continue.” 
  • Does President Trump’s College Sports Council remain active? "It still exists. It's still vital. We had the one big meeting at the White House, but we've had many meetings via Zoom with people all around the country. … The focus right now, that all culminated in legislation that the Senate has before it, that has been endorsed by Democrats and Republicans alike.” (link) 
• Senate Democrats considering a bipartisan deal to pass the Protect College Sports Act find themselves in a tricky spot, per Semafor’s Burgess Everett, who notes fractures in the Democratic coalition raise questions about the legislation’s ability to clear the narrowly divided House even if it can pass the Senate. Expectations are for Senate Democrats to conduct a conversation about the bill sometime this month. Everett: “Democrats should not assume there will be another chance to address college sports next year and should weigh the bill on its merits. If the party’s senators block this bill, Republicans may not be in a mood to start from scratch in January should they lose the House or Senate. But the political calculus is complicated: [President Donald] Trump doesn’t have many bipartisan accomplishments to brag about. He soured on the housing bill before it even became law. Given his love for sports and spectacle, I would imagine he would tout this bill loudly if it passes. Democrats must decide whether that matters to them or whether Republicans would gain a real edge from the bill passing.” (link) 
• Reconvening after a five-week recess, House GOP leaders are weighing an early exit ahead of November’s mid-term elections, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) prioritizing a fast-track vote on a Senate-passed stopgap spending bill to avert a September 30 government shutdown. Supported by President Donald Trump and key congressional Democrats, the proposed 10-week funding patch would extend government operations through Dec. 11, effectively deferring major legislative battles, including a party-line budget reconciliation package, Russian sanctions and farm bill negotiations, to the post-election lame-duck session. While Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) plans to focus the upper chamber's brief September session on judicial nominations, cryptocurrency regulation via the Clarity Act and a multi-university college athletics overhaul, the House's stalled legislative agenda and internal procedural gridlock have fueled speculation that lawmakers will depart well before their scheduled Oct. 1 recess target. Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA): "So many people are having to run back and forth to campaign. I think we can get some other things done [beyond the spending stopgap], but the big bills will probably have to wait until after the election." (link) 
• NCAA President Charlie Baker pens an urgent call-to-action through USA Today asking for federal intervention via the Protect College Sports Act to halt the rapid legal erosion of traditional collegiate eligibility boundaries. Citing a surge of over 165 filed lawsuits since the start of 2025, Baker warns that court injunctions forcing the NCAA to reinstate former NFL and NBA professionals, alongside allowing multi-school transfers, are systematically crowding out incoming high school recruits and depleting scholarship opportunities for traditional student-athletes. “As rosters are increasingly packed with older adults and former professionals, the most obvious consequence is an unfair matchup on the field. But the longer-term impact falls on the next generation of young athletes who will be squeezed out of the system as a result. Sidelining incoming freshmen doesn’t just rob them of their roster spots or athletic scholarship opportunities — it also strips away their chance to experience the lifelong benefits of college sports. In addition, adding former professionals to rosters costs already-enrolled student-athletes valuable playing time and development opportunities during their precious years in college.” More. (link)  
• The student-athlete rev-share cap of $21.3M for 2026-27 has increased to $21.58M following an audit of power conference revenue, according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, who notes “there was an automatic 4% boost plus an additional, one-time increase,” allowing schools to spend an additional $131,438 during the 2026-27 season. (link)