A high-stakes power struggle erupts as a billionaire booster slams scheduling changes, accusing the Big 12 commissioner of chasing ratings at the expense of Texas football traditions.
Is the Big 12 commissioner really a "dictator''?
Does a Lubbock-lovin' billionaire really get to insist that "everything runs through'' Texas Tech?
There may be no scheduling compromise to be had anymore; even West Texas oil billionaire and Texas Tech powerbroker Cody Campbell has conceded, "I think it's done'' ...
"It'' being the shuffling of Tech's conference-opening Week 3 game against Houston to a Friday.
The issues for the Red Raiders here are many. Campbell, the outspoken big-money booster and Chairman of the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents, objects to the switch in part because Fridays are "sacred" to Texas high school football, and in part because it shorts the Red Raiders a needed break between this matchup and a Week 2 game at Oregon State in Corvallis on Saturday, Sep. 12.
Said Campbell via the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.: "We've got a road game the week before. It's not an ideal situation for us, and ... I think our conference should protect us more than they did ... They ... were chasing ratings — which I do understand on one hand, but on the other hand, high school football is important in the state of Texas.''
Countered conference commissioner Brett Yormark?
"Cody Campbell does not run the Big 12," Yormark said.
Them's fightin' words, and they threaten to further ignite what seems like a smoldering fire that exists between the conference and a most high-profile member.
So who's right?
Said Yormark: "Our Board and our ADs approved playing 12 games a year off of Saturdays in an effort to raise the profile, narrative, and viewership of Big 12 Football. Texas Tech hosting a primetime game on Friday night delivers that."
"Friday night Big 12 football games outperformed the Conference’s average rating by 64% in 2025," the commissioner added. "All of our schools are treated equally during the TV scheduling process and this game fits within our scheduling parameters. I am thankful that our TV partners provide us with these opportunities."
Part of the commissioner's argument? This concept has been communicated to the Red Raiders and all the other schools.
Part of Campbell's argument? Maybe the communication failed, and maybe Yormark's acting like a "dictator'' contributed to that.
"I think Yormark could have gone to bat for us and didn't, because, again, he wanted the ratings ... As commissioner, he needs to remember that he works for the Presidents, and the Presidents work for the Boards," Campbell said, via ESPN. "He is not the dictator of the conference. That’s not his role. It is his responsibility to advocate for his members in all cases.”
At some point, for the good of all involved, the incendiary labels and accusations need to stop. The answer - maybe not for this scheduling move but for future ones? Yormark allowing Texas Tech to feel like its more involved in the process. ... so at least some "things run through Lubbock.''