Texas Tech has become the villain of the Big 12 after its big spending looks to keep the Red Raiders at the top. But Cody Campbell says the league should be following its strategy instead of complaining.
LUBBOCK - It has been a whirlwind past year or so for Texas Tech, as the Red Raiders saw the high of capturing their first Big 12 title and making a stop in the College Football Playoff but also experienced the lows of the Brendan Sorsby scandal and backlash from all across the nation.
Despite all of the extracurricular noise surrounding the program, Texas Tech is poised to be solid again on the field this season. So good, perhaps, that the Red Raiders could make conference history and make a return trip to the CFP.
Most of this success centers around the ability to bring talent to Lubbock and the inability for the rest of the Big 12 to keep pace in the new age of realignment.
One of the key figures responsible for turning Texas Tech into a powerhouse program is Board of Regents Chair and noted booster Cody Campbell. Campbell's investments have allowed him to cement his alma mater into the spotlight of recruiting and transfer portal acquisitions.
While some elsewhere in the sport, specifically in the Big 12, take issue with the Red Raiders' approach and their seemingly bottomless pockets, Campbell argued that these programs should be following their lead instead.
"We want to find a way to get all other Big 12 schools to elevate themselves. Everybody needs to do some version of what we've done. That's the path forward for this conference. A rising tide lifts all boats," said Campbell based on reports from Yahoo's Ross Dellenger.
Granted, some other programs in the conference are taking swings and trying to keep up in the ever-changing landscape, such as BYU. However, others will not and possibly even cannot match the output from the Red Raiders.
Campbell is not asking for that level of contribution, and frankly, he probably does not want anyone else quite even with Texas Tech. But his rebuttal does point out serious flaws with the latest incarnation of the Big 12.
As previously mentioned, the realignment wave that struck college football in the past few years saw staple programs in Oklahoma and Texas roll out of the conference for the likes of the SEC.
Since that departure, many pundits have tabbed the Big 12 as a 'less-than' counterpart to the SEC and Big Ten. And when examining the past few years from the league, it is hard to offer a firm counter.
Just last year, Texas Tech ran through the rest of the league, with the exception of Arizona State, before getting embarrassed by Oregon in what many outside the conference viewed as its first true matchup.
For the Big 12, it may have issues with how the Red Raiders do business but the argument laid out by Campbell does make sense, even if it is coming from the villains of the league.
Times are changing and the best plan for the rest of the Big 12 to avoid getting left behind may be to swallow its pride and take heed of the example set by Texas Tech.
