Pat McAfee says Texas Tech should bolt for the SEC, but the Red Raiders' rise doesn't demand a conference jump, and leaving the Big 12 could stunt long-term growth.
The No. 5 Texas Tech Red Raiders wrapped up their regular season at 11–1, blasting West Virginia 49-0 and cementing themselves as the Big 12's most complete team.
Their +244 scoring margin wasn’t a fluke, it was a season-long statement.
But despite the program's undeniable momentum, ESPN's Pat McAfee used his platform to push a familiar national narrative that success in the Big 12 should automatically trigger an SEC conversation.
It's a flashy and misguided take.
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McAfee's comments on his Dec. 1 show framed Tech as a program "too good" for the Big 12, going as far as calling it "disgusting" that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey hasn't extended an invitation.
But behind the bombastic delivery was a premise that simply doesn't hold up.
Jumping to the SEC doesn’t guarantee prestige ... it guarantees instability, increased scrutiny, and the risk of becoming just another middle-tier program swallowed by a deeper league.
His West Virginia bias was obvious, too.
The Mountaineers were humiliated by Tech in Week 14, and McAfee, who's an emotional WVU alum, spent much of the segment joking that he wanted the Red Raiders "out of the Big 12" entirely.
Even his crew laughed off the suggestion, offering mock outrage at other teams' placements rather than realignment analysis.
Meanwhile, actual Texas Tech fans had no interest in the SEC fantasy.
Replies across social media rejected the idea outright. Fans want to build the Big 12 back up, not abandon it the moment success arrives, especially after watching Texas and Oklahoma leave, only to find the "grass isn’t always greener."
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They understand what McAfee does not, that the Red Raiders have leverage now, identity now, and belonging now. The SEC wouldn't amplify what Tech has built; it would dilute it.
McAfee has praised Tech often this season, but his realignment talk misses the heartbeat of the fanbase and the reality of the program's trajectory.
Texas Tech doesn't need the SEC to validate its rise. What it needs, and what its fans clearly want, is to dominate where it already is.
The Big 12 isn't Texas Tech's burden. It's Texas Tech's opportunity.