If there was ever a moment for Texas Tech football to justify its aggressive investment in the transfer portal, Saturday’s Big 12 Championship was it. For months, the Red Raiders have been the subject of conversation — and plenty of criticism — about the millions poured into reshaping their roster. But as linebacker Jacob Rodriguez put it after the game, "If we are gonna buy a team, why not be the best."
Through 13 games, Tech has done just that. The Red Raiders built a roster designed to win now, and now they’re not only Big 12 champions for the first time in program history, but also heading to the College Football Playoff — and almost certainly with a first-round bye.
Saturday’s 34–7 win over No. 11 BYU wasn’t just another victory; it was a confirmation of everything Tech has been building. A sell-out crowd at AT&T Stadium watched the Red Raiders dominate in every meaningful phase, turning a matchup of two 11-1 teams into a one-sided display of physicality, depth, and defensive might. And from the opening whistle to the trophy presentation, it felt like Tech was the more prepared and more complete football team.
A Defensive Identity That Can Win in the Playoff
What separates Texas Tech from most high-powered teams this season is that its defense — not the offense — is the star. That identity showed again as the Red Raiders held BYU to a season-low 200 total yards, including just 63 rushing yards on 30 carries. It was the second time this season Tech bullied BYU, and it came in even more impressive fashion.
Rodriguez led the way with 13 tackles, while fellow linebacker Ben Roberts delivered one of the guttiest performances of the year. After leaving in the first quarter with an abdominal and hip issue, Roberts returned after halftime and promptly changed the game with two second-half interceptions. Head coach Joey McGuire said afterward, "His ab/hip was really bothering him, and (the training staff) got it loosened up and then all of a sudden we got two picks by this guy."
Roberts explained his injury moment: "I just did everything I could to stretch it out and fix it up… They got it all heated up and relaxed."
His return ignited the defense, and the turnovers that followed swung the game permanently. A third-quarter interception set up an 11-yard touchdown run on the very next play, and another fourth-quarter pick halted any final BYU hope.
Roberts’ two-interception performance was historic — he became the first player ever with multiple picks in the Big 12 Championship Game.
If defensive football wins championships, Texas Tech looks more than ready for the College Football Playoff stage.
Turnovers: The Story of Both Matchups
A month ago in Lubbock, Tech beat BYU 29–7. The turnover margin was 3–0. Saturday? Four more BYU turnovers — all in the second half — sealed their fate.
The Cougars actually started strong, driving 90 yards in 14 plays for a 7–0 lead. But that was the high point. As BYU head coach Kalani Sitake admitted, "You can't make a lot of mistakes like we did… I think they're the best team in the country and I'm confirming it."
Once Tech grabbed a 13–7 halftime lead, the Cougars needed perfection. Instead, they unraveled. Roberts’ third-quarter interception was the breaking point; BYU never recovered emotionally, structurally, or strategically.
The offense pressing led to more giveaways, and Tech was too disciplined to let those opportunities go to waste.
Clutch Playmakers on Offense — Even When Games Get Ugly
The Red Raiders didn’t need 500 yards of offense — they needed consistency, and they got it. Quarterback Behren Morton, making his 35th career start, was efficient and calm, throwing two touchdowns to Coy Eakin. The first, a leaping 33-yard highlight-reel catch early in the second quarter, gave Tech a 10–7 lead they never relinquished.
Eakin added a 28-yard sprint to the end zone in the fourth quarter, his second touchdown of the game, matching his season total from the previous nine contests.
Kicker Stone Harrington handled the rest, hitting four field goals and continuing his impressive run against BYU after a school-record five the last time the teams met.
This Tech offense doesn’t need to be explosive every drive — it just needs to be opportunistic. When your defense gives you short fields and momentum swings, “efficient” is more than good enough.
A Championship Years in the Making
Texas Tech hasn’t hoisted a conference trophy like this since 1955. They’ve been part of every Big 12 season since the league’s inception, yet had never captured a Big 12 football title until now.
That’s why the emotion from Joey McGuire after the game hit home. He fought back tears during the postgame celebration, saying, “It’s incredible… our superpower on this team is how much we love each other… I’m so proud for Red Raider Nation.”
That message resonated because everyone who’s followed Tech knows this wasn’t an overnight success. It was a culture rebuild, a strategic roster overhaul, and a coaching staff that leaned into modern roster management instead of resisting it.
And to McGuire’s credit, he never shied away from expectations. As he said earlier after the game: "Man, I can't wait to see where the CFP is going to put us… We're looking forward to the bye. You know, we're hoping and expecting that's where we'll be."
That kind of confidence has defined this team all season.
The BYU Perspective: Just the Wrong Opponent Twice
BYU’s season will still end in a bowl game — its 19th in 21 years — but Saturday was a reminder of how thin the margin is at the top of college football. The Cougars finished with their lowest yardage output of the season, lower even than the first loss to Tech (255 yards).
Their best player entering the game, running back LJ Martin, still produced solid numbers with 76 yards on 19 carries, but the Cougars never found consistency after the first drive.
Sitake was candid, admitting the reality: Tech was the best team BYU saw — twice.
Tech’s Ceiling Now Extends Beyond the Big 12
With a record-setting 12 wins — more than any season in school history — Texas Tech now joins elite company. Only two programs before them have won 12 games by 20+ points in a single season: 2013 Florida State and 2018 Alabama. Both played for national titles. That’s not a coincidence.
Texas Tech isn’t just a great Big 12 team. It’s a legitimate national title contender with a playoff-ready defense, a stable quarterback, and a coaching staff that knows exactly who it is.
They won’t host a playoff game due to the first-round bye, but they’ll head into the quarterfinals — possibly at the Cotton Bowl — as one of the hottest teams in the country.
If Rodriguez’s quote set the tone, the results have backed it up: Tech built a team to win big. And now, they’re playing for something even bigger.
