Forget decades. One football season's epic clashes ignited this Big 12 blood feud, now heating up the hardwood with intense matchups.
Every conference needs that rivalry - the one that sneaks up on you, gets loud fast, and suddenly feels inevitable.
In the Big 12 right now, that rivalry is Texas Tech vs. BYU.
It didn’t take decades. It didn’t need trophies collecting dust from the 1970s. It took one unforgettable football season, two Top-10 clashes, a conference title on the line, and a whole lot of fanbases deciding, almost simultaneously, “Yeah… I don’t like you.”
And just like that, a rivalry was born. Red Raiders on SI made some very valid points regarding this "new" rivalry.
The moment College GameDay rolled into Lubbock for a Top-10 showdown, this thing stopped being theoretical. Texas Tech and BYU weren’t just good - they were battling to define the Big 12’s new power structure.
Tech’s 29-7 win at Jones Stadium handed BYU its first loss of the season and lit the fuse. A few weeks later, the teams met again in Arlington with a conference title and CFP berth on the line.
Same result. Bigger stage. Even louder message.
Texas Tech didn’t just beat BYU twice - they were the only team that beat BYU all season.
That tends to stick.
Part of what makes this rivalry feel real is how different - yet strangely similar - the programs are.
Texas Tech brings West Texas edge. Loud crowds. Defensive aggression. A chip-on-the-shoulder attitude forged by realignment chaos and former rivals leaving town.
BYU brings a national fanbase, deep institutional pride, and a program that thrives on physicality and discipline. Different backgrounds, same mentality: tough, unapologetic, and confident they belong at the top.
Joey McGuire and Kalani Sitake don’t coach mirror-image teams, but they build them with the same foundation. Physical football. Emotional buy-in. Respect earned the hard way.
That mutual respect? It actually makes the rivalry better. If football sparked it, basketball cemented it.
Both programs have lived in the Top 25 over the past two seasons, and every meeting feels less like a regular-season game and more like a measuring stick.
BYU’s perimeter-heavy offense versus Texas Tech’s grind-you-down defense isn’t just contrast - it’s entertainment.
Road wins. Tactical chess matches. Fans chirping online before the ball even tips. Sound familiar? That’s rivalry behavior.
Texas Tech lost long-time rivals to realignment.
BYU arrived needing a true conference foil. Together, they filled the vacuum - not artificially, but organically, through stakes, results, and emotion.
This rivalry didn’t need history. It created it. And judging by how both programs are trending, this is just the opening chapter.
The Big 12 didn’t plan its best rivalry. Texas Tech and BYU just took it.