The Sports Corner

Big 12 Football three-way: The case for Texas Tech

Texas Tech went undefeated longer than any other Big 12 team. That may be the team’s best selling point.

This is the hardest case to make, but it’s legitimate.

It took until November 22 for somebody to knock off the Red Raiders. Remember that Oklahoma is playing lights out football right now, but where was that during the Red River Game? Texas Tech played near-perfect football for the first two and a half months of the season before running into a buzz-saw.

Maybe they got caught on a bad night, in an atmosphere where the team hasn’t fared well historically.

One can say, that’s college football and if they’re a championship team they should win that game. But every team in this race has had a slip-up along the way. Does it make a difference that it was by 44 points? Probably. But remember OU couldn’t beat Texas on a neutral field. They didn’t even have to travel to Austin. Maybe the beat-down would have ensued if that was a home game for the Longhorns. 

To make the best case for the Red Raiders, you really have to make the best case against the Sooners.

Because that 65-21 thumping is still fresh in everyone’s minds and no amount of running up the score against 4-7 Baylor is going to change that. 

This is the most difficult case of the three to make but Texas Tech’s season was a magical one and they deserve to be in the hunt just as much as the other two teams do. Don’t forget the clout that Texas and Oklahoma carry for being power house teams in historical terms.

Tech doesn’t have that kind of clout and it may be putting them at a slight disadvantage. 

If the doomsday scenario plays out, I’m not too sure about this, but I think Tech goes to the conference title game. The doomsday scenario being all three teams lose this week, leaving a four-way tie atop the Big 12 south. Texas and Texas Tech would be 2-1 among the tied teams, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would be 1-2.

Then by virtue of Tech’s victory over Texas, the Red Raiders win the division.