Sports

Iowa State AD’s frustration with Big Ten, SEC boils over: ‘Let ’em break away’

Published

3 months ago

May 20, 2026

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. — Significant frustration over governance and other revenue-related issues between the Big 12 and the power-conference duo of the SEC and Big Ten has boiled over for one Big 12 athletic director, who told reporters, “Let ’em break away.”

“I would turn it around and say we should break away from them,” Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard told reporters along his annual Cyclone Caravan and filmed by Cyclone Fanatic. “Let them go, but they have to go in all their sports and see how fun it is to play baseball and softball and track when it’s just the 20 of you.

“That’s probably a little more draconian, but that’s how I feel about it. Let’s quit talking about it, quit threatening, go do it.”

Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard takes it up a notch when asked about Big Ten and SEC threatening to break away: pic.twitter.com/CxI7gA0Y5S

— Keith Murphy (@KeithMurphy) May 19, 2026

Part of Pollard’s frustration stems from the Big Ten’s and SEC’s unwillingness to adhere to College Sports Commission rulings. The most high-profile case involves the CSC denying name, image and likeness deals worth $7.5 million to 18 Nebraska athletes with compensation coming from Playfly Sports, a multimedia-rights company that partners with Nebraska. Both sides appealed to an independent arbiter, which ruled in the CSC’s favor.

“The four commissioners spent a lot of money creating the CSC,” Pollard said. “Then to have two of the conferences not want to adhere to it is perplexing to me, because then, why did we spend the money? If you didn’t want rules, then why did you create this entity? That’s what’s frustrating to me, the same people that say they want rules only want rules if they don’t apply to them.”

According to numbers released by the CSC, beginning on June 11, 2025, and through April 30, 2026, it has cleared 26,556 deals worth a total value of $242.35 million. The CSC has denied 1,153 deals worth a total value of $56.17 million. Other deals, primarily from Big Ten and SEC schools, remain in limbo.

Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz declined to comment about Pollard’s barbs at the Big Ten, saying, “I try to focus on Iowa and the Big Ten; I think that’s just good practice to focus on our own groups.”

“Generally speaking, I think the Big Ten is trying to do things the right way in the system that exists,” Goetz said. “We’re putting our deals in, and we all recognize that right now there’s some challenges within the system that was created for a variety of reasons. So it’s just a collective focus on identifying the best way to continue to support the enterprise, and that means we need a sustainable financial model.”

A breakaway was not discussed publicly at last week’s ACC spring meetings, but administrators there voiced concerns about the way the $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap is being enforced (or, more accurately, not enforced).

“I think if we all would have gone into the settlement with the idea that the cap wasn’t really going to be the cap, we’d probably feel a little bit different about it,” Louisville athletic director Josh Heird said. “But I think a large majority, if not all of us, went into this settlement with the idea that the cap’s the cap. The cap’s not the cap. If reality deviates from your expectations, then it’s difficult to reconcile those at times. I think that’s what we’re going through right now as an industry.”

Big Ten athletic officials vented their own frustrations at their league meetings, which has led to concerns over governance from the NCAA and CSC. Hopes for the SCORE Act, which would have granted the NCAA antitrust exemptions to regulate outside income, were dashed when a potential U.S. House vote was scuttled Monday. Administrators wanted the SCORE Act to coincide with the landmark House settlement, which allows athletic departments to pay athletes directly.

“I don’t believe it’s working today,” Washington athletic director Pat Chun said. “The whole point of going into the settlement was to manage the third-party money and actually have a functional cap, and once that didn’t happen, that really undermined the fundamental reason of why the settlement was going to have any chance of having durability.”

The Big Ten has not threatened to leave the NCAA or CSC, but it’s keeping its options open.

“There’s a strong feeling to try to do everything we can, No. 1, to see what happens out of Congress and obviously support whatever comes out of that, if it does,” Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson said. “Beyond that, I would say there’s definitely an effort to make certain we can really coalesce together with the other conferences and work within the governance structure that exists … but at the same time keeping everything on the table and exploring whether options we may or may not need to pivot to, depending on the outcomes of a lot of things that sometimes are out of our control.”

“The discussion has to start within, in our case, the Big Ten, and all the member schools of the Big Ten,” Maryland athletic director Jim Smith said.

— Matt Baker contributed to this report.

Sports

Shergar Cup: Ryan Moore helps Great Britain and Ireland to Ascot crown | Racing News

Published

35 seconds ago

August 9, 2026

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Ryan Moore bagged a Shergar Cup double on his return to the competition following a 20-year absence to help his Great Britain and Ireland team win the team event while he was also crowned leading rider over the six races.

Winner of the Silver Saddle on his last appearance at the team-based meeting in 2006, Moore has usually been required to ride on a Group One card in Ireland.

But with that meeting put back 24 hours he was free to attend and delighted the Ascot crowd.

Team Great Britain and Ireland topped the standings on 81 points from Team Hong Kong in second on 62, with Moore’s individual haul of 47 enough to take the Silver Saddle.

He first struck on Dylan Cunha’s Asgard’s Captain (13-2) who stuck to his task gamely to win the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge by a length and a quarter from Yutake Take on Sportingsilvermine for the Rest of the World.

Moore said: “Dylan did say he could be a little bit lazy, but he has an uncomplicated attitude and to just help him through it and it was straightforward, really.

“It’s great to get Dylan a winner here today and the owners will be delighted as they were all looking forward to it, so it’s a good job the horse has performed today.”

In the penultimate Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic, he gave Marco Botti’s Archers Bay (5-2) a textbook ride coming home three-and-a-quarter lengths clear of Christophe Lemaire on King Of Berkshire for Team Europe.

Having run in the Italian Derby earlier in the season, he looked the class act and so it proved.

In the closing Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile, Moore finished third on Ozat behind the Frida Valle Skar-ridden Crown Board (10-1), but her Team Europe were not in contention for top honours by then.

Saffie Osborne thrives in the team environment and got her name on the scoresheet when Tim Easterby’s Red Spells Danger justified 2-1 favouritism in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint.

Osborne was leading rider in the Racing League on three occasions and is captaining Moore and Dylan Browne McMonagle in Team Great Britain and Ireland.

She said: “I heard a few people knocking this horse today but I thought the track would really suit and it has. I’m just glad I pulled my finger out.

“Looking at the standard of jockeys here today, it’s amazing – look at our team with Ryan Moore and Ireland’s champion jockey.

“The win for me today is that I made Ryan laugh a couple of times, so I’m quite happy with that!”

Team Hong Kong had earlier set the pace winning the first two races.

Jerry Chau gave them the perfect start when partnering Tuco Salamanca to a clear-cut victory in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash.

Representing a team making its Shergar Cup debut, Chau, 26, gave Ollie Sangster’s four-year-old the perfect ride, taking a lead into the final furlong before a gap opened up seamlessly.

Tuco Salamanca (4-1) quickened impressively to beat Gold Star Hero, ridden by Chau’s team-mate Vincent Ho, by a length and a half.

Fandom and Suraj Narredu were third for the Rest of the World.

Chau told Sky Sports Racing: “It felt amazing when I hit the line.

“No words can describe riding a winner at Ascot. I grew up watching Ryan Moore on YouTube. I watched him as much as I could.”

Luke Ferraris did not have to wait long to play his part for Team Hong Kong as after an opening race one-two from his team-mates, he drove home Dancing In Paris to win the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers.

Riding the Ian Williams-trained 17-2 shot, Ferraris came with a late run to collar Moore on Andrew Balding’s Shrimp Shady to win by a length.

Mountain Road was third for Yutake Take and the Rest of the World.

Ferraris said: “That’s phenomenal, he’s a lot fitter than me! He was turned out in great order.

“He didn’t settle as good as he should have, but he still produced a great turn of foot.

“I think I’ve only ridden in one two-mile race in recent years, so it was a bit of a change.

“We’ve a good group of young riders representing Hong Kong, so let’s hope it continues.”

Sports

'There's no hiding'- IBF champ McKenna puts middleweight division on notice

Published

6 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

qasimgillani

'There's no hiding'- IBF champ McKenna puts middleweight division on notice

Sports

Carabao Cup: Burnley edge win on penalties, West Ham, Norwich & Watford through | Football News

Published

12 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

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Kyle Walker struck the winning penalty as Burnley edged out Notts County 4-3 in a shoot-out to reach the Carabao Cup second round after a 1-1 draw at Turf Moor.

Newly-promoted County, League Two play-off final winners over Salford in May, led through Callum Roberts at half-time before Zian Flemming equalised early in the second period for the Clarets.

Walker struck the winning penalty after Burnley goalkeeper Max Weiss had saved efforts from Notts pair Emile Acquah and Jacob Bedeau in the shoot-out.

West Ham came from behind to beat Portsmouth 3-1 at the London Stadium in their first match following relegation from the Premier League.

The Hammers fell behind to Adrian Segecic’s first-half opener, but turned it round before the break with Taty Castellanos and Jarrod Bowen on target, before the former notched his second in the second half.

Substitute Jamal Lowe struck the only goal as Sheffield Wednesday beat 10-man Bolton 1-0 at Hillsborough.

Lowe scored midway through the second half after Bolton’s Xavier Simons was sent off for punching Owls’ on-loan Leeds striker Harry Gray in retaliation having been pulled back.

Millwall goalkeeper Lukas Jensen saved all four of QPR’s penalties as the Lions won 2-0 in a shoot-out at Loftus Road after the game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes.

Luke Cundle had given Millwall a second-half lead after a goalkeeper error before the Hoops hit back through a late own goal from Mark Sykes.

Norwich debutant Andre Brooks was on target as the Canaries cruised to a 4-1 win against MK Dons at Carrow Road.

Cardiff substitute Jack Moylan also scored on his debut, firing the winner as the Bluebirds won 3-2 against Swindon, for whom James Debayo was sent off for two yellow cards in the final six minutes.

August Priske’s first-half finish sealed Birmingham a 1-0 win at Swansea and Marc Bola’s stunning long-range strike deep in added time clinched Watford victory over Crawley by the same score.

Late goals from substitutes Andri Gudjohnsen and Jayden Fevrier secured Blackburn a 2-1 win at Burton.

Newly-promoted Lincoln picked up where they left off last season, winning 2-1 at Derby thanks to first-half goals from Ben House and Dom Jefferies before Sammie Szmodics pulled one back for the Rams.

Ollie Norburn’s own goal and Robert Bozenik’s late effort secured Stoke a 2-0 win against Oldham at the bet365 Stadium and Bradford pair Will Swan and Aden Baldwin earned their side a 2-0 home win against Rochdale.

Fleetwood captain Ched Evans’ first-half effort sealed his side a 1-0 home win against Chesterfield and Cambridge hit back to beat Barnet 2-1 through second-half goals from Ben Knight and Isaac Heath.

AFC Wimbledon, Barnsley and Reading progressed after winning on penalties against Newport, Wigan and Bromley respectively, while Preston, Shrewsbury and Doncaster came through respective shoot-outs against Huddersfield, Salford and Stockport.

Luca Moore’s late goal sealed Crewe a 2-1 victory against Accrington at Gresty Road and late goals from Demetri Mitchell and Idris El Mizouni secured Leyton Orient a 2-0 home win against Oxford.

Peterborough, Luton and Blackpool all won on the road, at Bristol Rovers, Gillingham and Grimsby respectively, and Caleb Okoli’s header secured Leicester a 1-0 home win against Northampton.

In the evening kick-offs, there was a 2-0 victory for Southampton as Cyle Larin and Romeo Akachukwu scored their goals at Colchester.

While West Brom won 4-1 at Rotherham and Charlton secured a 3-1 victory at Cheltenham.

When is the second round draw?

The draw for the second round of the 2026/27 Carabao Cup will be made live on Sky Sports Football on Monday August 10, during the build-up to the tie between Plymouth and Exeter.

The draw will feature all first-round winners, as well as the 11 Premier League clubs not participating in European competition.