Senator Ted Cruz joined OutKick’s Dan Dakich for a wide-ranging interview that touched on everything from saving college sports to making sure betting on prop bets doesn’t lead to corruption of integrity to the one-liners of Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.

As I said, wide-ranging, and you can check out the interview in its entirety on the Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich YouTube channel.

One of the biggest stories in sports these days has to do with the state of college sports and how it has been impacted by NIL. Sen. Cruz talked about how, while it’s good that athletes can make some money off of their name, image, and likeness, the bidding wars we see are going to threaten the existence of college sports.

“So look, I think there’s an absolute crisis in college sports. I think the current situation [is] the Wild West,” the Republican senator from Texas said. “Every school is in a bidding war. It keeps going up and up and up. With the transfer portal, you’ve got people jumping from school to school to school, and I don’t think any of this is good for college schools.

“I think we’re on a path where, if Congress doesn’t act, we’re going to see a handful of schools, maybe 30 [or] 40, schools that are ‘super schools’ that survive… But a whole bunch of other schools on the current path — I think division two schools, division three schools, and even a bunch of division one schools — this bidding war is pricing them out of being competitive. That’s not good for sports.”

Cruz also talked about how sports that don’t typically earn income for their schools are going to be in a lot of danger because of the current system, and how that could take away incredible opportunities for those student-athletes.

“I’m really worried about all the kids that this is their only hope to get an education,” Sen. Cruz said. “To learn the discipline and teamwork and all the skills you get playing sports that then help you in life, help you get a job, help you build a business, help you provide for your family. And so I think there is an urgent need for Congress to step in.”

Another major issue impacting sports that Dakich and Sen. Cruz discussed has to do with sports gambling. Specifically, prop bets and how easy it can be for players to manipulate them, thereby threatening the integrity of the game.

“I can tell you, I’ve recently sent oversight letters to the NBA and Major League Baseball inquiring, getting the facts about how many, how many complaints I’m particularly concerned about prop bets,” Sen. Cruz said. “If you can bet on whether the first pitch in a game is going to be a ball or a strike, well, you know what? The pitcher can’t necessarily guarantee it’s a strike, but 100% of the time, he can guarantee it’s a ball, and that just invites corruption.”

Sen. Cruz mentioned that he has talked to leagues and gambling platforms about this issue and is exploring ways Congress might be able to help maintain the integrity of games.

“I don’t think anyone wants to see sports where you don’t trust the outcome, where you think it’s rigged, where you have an athlete throwing a game because he wants to make a buck,” the senator said. “That’s a bad outcome, and I do think we need to work to prevent it.”

And finally, Dakich and Cruz hit on a lighter topic, and those are the legendary one-liners of Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy.

“That judiciary committee hearing where John Kennedy leaned forward into the microphone and he says, ‘Christmas tree ornaments and Jeffrey Epstein: two things you know, didn’t hang themselves.'” Sen. Cruz recalled. “I always fell out of my chair. I’m like, Wait, how was that out loud?”

How great is that? It would’ve made a perfect Carnac joke back in the day.

Dakich then mentioned that one of his favorite Sen. Kennedy lines, “She’s not the dumbest person in the country, but she better hope the dumbest person doesn’t die.”

“John is essentially a stand–up comedian,” Sen. Cruz said, before bringing up an all-time Kennedy gem. “He said things like ‘AOC is why they put instructions on shampoo.’”

…

Be sure to check out the entire interview on the Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich YouTube channel.

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez collected his fifth national award this season Friday evening as he was tabbed the winner of the Bednarik Award during the College Football Awards Show live on ESPN.

Rodriguez is the first Red Raider in program history to win the Bednarik Award, which is presented annually by the Maxwell Football Club to the nation’s top defensive player. The Bednarik Award selected Rodriguez over Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell.

With the addition of the Bednarik Award, Rodriguez is now the winner of the Butkus Award (nation’s top linebacker), the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation’s top defensive player), the Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman or linebacker) and the Pony Express Award (nation’s top duo with David Bailey) this season alone. He is the third player in history to win the Butkus Award as well as the Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award in the same season, joining Miami’s Dan Morgan (2000) and Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o (2012). Rodriguez joins Te’o as the only players to also win the Lombardi Award.

Rodriguez, who was also tabbed a first team All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation during the ESPN broadcast, has bolstered one of the nation’s top defenses, leading the Red Raiders to their first Big 12 title in program history this season and their first appearance in the College Football Playoff. The Red Raiders enter a potential matchup with either No. 5 Oregon or No. 12 seed James Madision at 12-1 overall, marking the most wins in program history.

Rodriguez has now led Texas Tech to four-consecutive bowl appearances during his career after going from a scholarship quarterback at Virginia, to walk-on linebacker with the Red Raiders and now a national award winner. He was joined during the ESPN College Football Awards Show by his parents, Joe and Ann Rodriguez, and his wife, Emma.

Rodriguez enters bowl season as the FBS leader with seven forced fumbles and ranks among the top-15 players nationally with 117 tackles. He is the first FBS player since 2005 to record at least five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four interceptions all in the same season. His impact has bolstered a Texas Tech defense that leads the nation with 31 takeaways and ranks third nationally in scoring defense at 10.9 points per game. Rodriguez was responsible for nine takeaways himself — all in Big 12 play – thanks to his ability to punch the ball out and also read the quarterback in coverage.

Rodriguez is currently the highest-rated player in all of college football, according to Pro Football Focus, grading out at 93.3 overall so far this season. He is the top-rated player in the country in terms of rush defense, receiving a 95.5 grade in that area for a Red Raider defense that is easily the nation’s best in stopping opponents on the ground. Texas Tech is giving up only 68.5 rushing yards a game thanks to Rodriguez, who also ranks fifth nationally in coverage with a 92.3 grade.

Established in 1995, the Chuck Bednarik Award is one of the most-prestigious honors in college football, awarded annually to the most outstanding defensive player. This accolade recognizes exceptional talent, tenacity and impact on the defensive side of the ball. The award is named in tribute to Chuck Bednarik, a revered figure in football history known for his remarkable career as a linebacker.

Although Indiana just beat Ohio State on a neutral field to win the Big Ten Championship, the Hoosiers are a consensus underdog to the Buckeyes when it comes to winning the national title.

Surveying six different online gambling sites — Bet365, MGM, DraftKings, Caesers, FanDuel and Bet Rivers — Indiana has the second-best odds as of Friday morning at each outlet to win the 2025 national championship.  Ohio State has the consensus best odds, and Georgia the third-best.

The consensus national champion odds at Action Network has Ohio State at +222, Indiana at +280, and Georgia at +550.

Indiana is the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff, AP Top-25, and Coaches Poll.  The Hoosiers beat Ohio State for the first time since 1988 on Saturday in Indianapolis.

Ohio State would likely have to beat Georgia in the national semifinal to reach the national championship game.  Indiana would likely have to beat either Oregon or Texas Tech, the teams with the fourth and fifth-best odds, respectively.

Against its potential quarterfinal round opponents at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, Indiana is around a 6.5-point favorite over Alabama, and a 9.5-point favorite over Oklahoma.

For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.

The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

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The state of the entire Michigan football program is in flux at the moment as it looks find a replacement for Sherrone Moore, who was fired on Wednesday afternoon after the university found him culpable in an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.

While many might think the Wolverines need to rush to find a new leader, it will be important for the athletic department to do its due diligence and make sure they have the right man for the job. The next head coach will be vital for retaining several key players on the roster, including quarterback Bryce Underwood.

According to a report from On3’s Pete Nakos ($) on Thursday, Underwood’s NIL contract he signed last year doesn’t include a buyout. That could drastically lower the financial commitment any school would need to make to pry the former five-star out of Ann Arbor.

Additionally, Nakos made it clear that Underwood and those around him will be keeping a close eye on the coaching search as they determine his next steps.

“(Sherrone) Moore’s firing and who the next (head coach) at Michigan will be will be critical to determining Bryce Underwood’s future in Ann Arbor, sources emphasized to On3,” Nakos wrote.

Of course, Underwood was committed to LSU for nearly a year before flipping to Michigan last November. The Tigers and new head coach Lane Kiffin would likely love to bring Underwood into the fold if they could, while countless other schools would certainly be interested in him as well if he opts to enter the portal.

One can’t expect the athletic department to fully cater specifically to what Underwood is looking for in a head coach, but it seems like this will be an important thing to consider.

Furthermore, whoever ends up taking the reigns of the program will have to do their part to make sure the Wolverines don’t lose the handful of young contributors from the 2025. They will also have to prevent any further attrition from the 2026 recruiting class after Michigan signee Matt Ludwig was granted release from his letter of intent on Thursday.

Changes and attrition are fast approaching for the program. Let’s see just how drastic they are in the days and weeks ahead.

The relationship between Kentucky and its multimedia rights partner, JMI, has been all the talk in recent days. Two days after KSR’s story on Wednesday about Kentucky’s recruiting efforts, which touched on the topic, Mark Pope addressed the conversation for himself.

During Friday’s press conference, Pope was asked about Kentucky’s need for a general manager to be in charge of NIL and other matters. While answering that question, Pope went on to address the recent talk circulating about JMI, Kentucky’s media partner’s involvement with NIL, giving a lot of credit to Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart.

Pope Says Kentucky is in ‘Such a Good Spot Right Now’

Mark Pope went into some detail on the JMI partnership and Mitch Barnhart’s involvement. He was entirely positive about the partnership.

“We’re in such a good spot right now, in the sense of, I’m telling you, and it’s like, this would probably be when someone needs to do like a super in depth New Yorker magazine 30-page article on Mitch, but his leadership in this space has been incredible, and I get to see it firsthand, where I have ADs from other major universities reach out and try to figure out, ‘How are you doing this?’” Pope said. “And how did you move ahead this way and this partnership with JMI? Paul [Archey] is incredible, and Kim [Shelton], who we work with day to day, is incredible.”

Pope further applauded his team’s involvement with JMI. He called his team “incredible in the dynamic times.”

“And when we get to write the book, there’s been a lot of late nights, tight deadlines, trying to get to winning spots and and so we have an incredible team in the dynamic times finding the landing on exactly the right spot is ultimately, that’s my job to get some space but the support that we’re getting is ridiculous, from managing the administration from JMI,” he said.

The Recruiting Relationship Between Kentucky and JMI

Kentucky is yet to land a commit in the 2026 class. KSR’s Jacob Polacheck and Jack Pilgrim shared the role of JMI in the recruiting struggles, among other topics, in a feature story on Wednesday night.

For context, the University of Kentucky and JMI reached an agreement in August to extend their partnership through 2040 for a multimedia rights agreement valued at $465 million. That agreement features the creation of JMI’s BBNIL Suite that serves as Kentucky’s in-house NIL collective. Through it, athletes can broker deals with UK’s 200+ official partners, or try to find their own third-party deals; however, Mitch Barnhart himself admitted the latter may be trickier than the former, as the university strives to protect the brand.

KSR reported on Wednesday that JMI, in conjunction with the UK basketball staff, is requiring prospective student-athletes to sign away NIL rights that would normally be untouched at any other school. A highly structured brand partnership agreement is something uncommon at other schools, but it is something Kentucky has pursued in accordance with JMI, making this arrangement unique to the current landscape of college basketball recruiting.

“I will say that Kentucky is the only school I’ve dealt with that even has anything remotely like this in their contracts,” one anonymous source said.

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