Brett Yormark says Texas Tech is a legit top-four team, a "great return" on NIL spending, and the program driving the Big 12 into the national spotlight.
The Big 12 wanted a national flagship. Texas Tech went ahead and became one.
Ahead of the 2025 Big 12 Championship Game, commissioner Brett Yormark made it clear that the league needs brands that move the needle ... and he sees the Red Raiders doing exactly that.
"We need our schools to be part of the national conversation," Yormark said.
He added that when it comes to the Big 12's football product, "this year that started to happen," and he expects that evolution to accelerate next season.
Right now, that conversation runs straight through Lubbock.
No. 4 Texas Tech has kicked the door down this season, surging into position for a first-round College Football Playoff bye with a win in Arlington in Saturday's Big 12 Championship game over BYU.
But the other side of the matchup, No. 11 BYU, sits on the edge of the bracket, needing either respect from the committee or a statement upset over Tech to get in. Yormark admitted it "might take that" win for the Cougars to be undeniable.
What's undeniable is the transformation in scarlet and black.
Yormark openly backed Tech as a deserving top-four CFP team and pointed directly at the program's offseason "investment" in the NIL and transfer portal as the model.
The national talking heads called it "buying a roster." Yormark called it smart business.
"I think if you look at Texas Tech or BYU, when you invest, you want a good return, and both are seeing a great return," he said. He added that most Big 12 schools are spending "close, if not at the cap," and called that proof of how seriously they're taking athletics as the "front porch" of their universities.
In Tech's case, that return isn't theoretical.
Defensive coordinator Shiel Wood, plus portal hits like Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year David Bailey, have flipped the Red Raiders from defensive liability to defensive identity.
Pair that with Jacob Rodriguez's Butkus Award win and Heisman chatter, and Tech suddenly has a national headliner wearing a Double T.
Yormark even labeled Rodriguez a "Heisman-worthy contender," another sign the league views Texas Tech as a centerpiece brand, not just a cute story.
With Joey McGuire locked in on a seven-year extension, and BYU's Kalani Sitake also staying put, the Big 12's future looks more stable and more dangerous.
And if Yormark gets his wish, Texas Tech won't just be part of the national conversation ... they'll be leading it.