Texas Tech, BYU clinch Big 12 championship berths thanks to Arizona State loss

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The Big 12 Championship Game will feature a pair of first-timers in Texas Tech and BYU — one a founding member, the other a recent newcomer, respectively. Both teams clinched a spot in the title game late Friday night thanks to a loss by Arizona State, then took care of business to close out the regular season with victories on Saturday.

No. 5 Texas Tech (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) will now face No. 11 BYU (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) on Saturday, Dec. 6 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys (noon ET, ABC).

It’s a rematch of Texas Tech’s 29-7 win on Nov. 8, with each school in the College Football Playoff hunt but BYU likely needing a title win to get in as an automatic qualifier. Despite the protests of Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire.

“No matter what happens, I think BYU and Texas Tech should be in the Playoff,” he said.

Tech, an original Big 12 member when conference play began in 1996, will vie for the league title for the first time, and after making plenty of headlines this offseason. The Red Raiders, in their fourth season under coach Joey McGuire, spent north of $25 million on their roster, resulting in a dominant, top-five defense stocked with transfer talent up front and fueled by All-America linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. An influx of donor-funded support, led by university board chair and billionaire oil booster Cody Campbell, has helped elevate Tech to one of the best and most talented teams in the FBS.

CLINCHED❗️
See you in Arlington Red Raiders

Tickets 🎟️: https://t.co/bIXU7cxPTR#Big12FB | @TexasTechFB pic.twitter.com/2ZEk0g6zFs

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) November 29, 2025

The Red Raiders clobbered West Virginia 49-0 on Saturday, outgaining the Mountaineers 572 total yards to 180. It matched the vaunted 2008 Texas Tech team with a program-record 11 regular-season victories, with this year’s squad winning each game by at least 20 points, joining 2018 Alabama and 2019 Ohio State as the only teams in the Playoff era to pull that off. The lone loss came in October at ASU, 26-22, with starting quarterback Behren Morton sidelined due to injury.

Considering Tech could potentially move up in the next batch of CFP rankings after No. 3 Texas A&M lost on Friday, the Red Raiders should be safely in the 12-team CFP field even with a loss in the Big 12 championship.

BYU is in just its third year of Big 12 play after 12 seasons as an independent, and will have a chance to win its first conference championship since 2007 as a member of the Mountain West. The Cougars have posted double-digit wins for a second straight season under coach Kalani Sitake, though they came up short of reaching the conference championship a season ago. Led by true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier and an opportunistic defense that ranks top-10 in turnover margin, BYU grinded out wins over Arizona, Utah and Cincinnati.

It defeated UCF 41-21 on Saturday, erasing a 14-0 first-quarter deficit with 31 straight points, holding UCF to just 42 rushing yards. The Cougars have won 22 of their last 25 games as members of the Big 12 over the past two seasons.

CLINCHED❕
See you in Arlington Cougars

Tickets 🎟️: https://t.co/bIXU7cynJp#Big12FB | @BYUfootball pic.twitter.com/d6xCrtyOUK

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) November 29, 2025

Texas Tech threw its weight around in the first meeting against BYU despite having to settle for five field goals. The Red Raiders limited the Cougars to just 255 total yards, including three turnovers and converting only 3 of 14 on third down. BYU struggled with only 67 rushing yards, well below its season average of more than 200 per game.

Unlike Texas Tech, BYU is currently just below the cutline for an at-large spot. A second loss to Texas Tech in the title game probably won’t be enough to make the Playoff as an at-large, unless there is a surprise loss Saturday night by Alabama and/or Notre Dame.

Meaning the Big 12’s best shot at sending multiple teams to the CFP would require some revenge for the Cougars next weekend in Jerry World.