Texas Tech didn’t just win the Big 12 ... it announced itself. Defense, dominance, and destiny now collide as the Red Raiders enter the CFP.
For decades, Texas Tech football lived in a familiar space.
Electric offenses, national attention, and just enough heartbreak to keep championships out of reach. From the Air Raid era to near-misses in the old Southwest Conference and early Big 12 years, the Red Raiders entertained but rarely controlled.
That narrative is officially dead.
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On Dec. 6 at AT&T Stadium, Texas Tech didn't sneak past BYU or survive a shootout. It delivered a statement. A 34-7 dismantling of an 11-1 Cougars team on college football's biggest conference stage sealed the program's first Edward Jones Big 12 Championship and launched the Red Raiders straight into the College Football Playoff conversation - loudly.
This wasn't about style points. It was about dominance.
In front of a Big 12 title game record crowd of 85,519 that looked and sounded like a home game, Tech ripped off 34 unanswered points after BYU's opening drive. The Cougars managed just 200 total yards, including a stunning 63 through the air, as the Red Raiders’ defense smothered everything in sight.
Joey McGuire understood the moment.
The longtime Texas high school coaching legend turned Big 12 power broker had coached games in AT&T Stadium before, but none like this.
He spoke not just about the win, but about commitment ... from the administration, from donors like Cody Campbell, and from a team that finally matched its potential with physicality.
This wasn’t an accident. It was built.
The defense told the story. Butkus Award linebacker Jacob Rodriguez led the way with 13 tackles, anchoring a unit that has quietly become one of the nation's most punishing.
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BYU gained just 110 yards after its opening drive, repeatedly harassed by a relentless Tech front that never let freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier breathe.
Ben Roberts, named the game's Most Outstanding Player, delivered two tip-drill interceptions, while the Red Raiders' pass rush turned every dropback into a survival exercise. BYU head coach Kalani Sitake acknowledged Bachmeier battled through a lower-leg injury, but made no excuses.
Texas Tech was simply better.
On offense, the Red Raiders were efficient, composed, and ruthless. Quarterback Behren Morton threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns, doing exactly what was required while the defense handled the heavy lifting.
Even with two missed field goals in a stadium-record-tying six attempts, the outcome was never in doubt.
This win capped a season unlike any in modern Tech history. Twelve victories by 20 points or more, a feat no FBS team had accomplished since official NCAA record-keeping began in 1936.
The lone blemish came in a narrow 26-22 road loss to Arizona State, the 2024 Big 12 champion and CFP team. Every other opponent was overwhelmed.
The reward was historic. Texas Tech rose as high as No. 4 in the CFP rankings and secured its first-ever playoff berth in the 12-season history of the current championship format.
BYU, despite 11 wins and both losses coming to the Red Raiders, was left just outside the field as the Big 12's lone bid went to Tech.
Now the spotlight only intensifies.
After a well-earned bye, the Red Raiders will make their first appearance in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, facing the winner of the James Madison-Oregon first-round CFP matchup. National writers are already floating a radical idea - that this Texas Tech team isn't just a participant, but a legitimate title threat.
It no longer sounds crazy.
This isn't the Air Raid Red Raiders. This is a complete, violent, disciplined football team that overwhelms opponents on both sides of the ball. In Lubbock, belief has turned into expectation ... and destiny may finally be wearing scarlet and black.