Texas Tech wins Big 12 Championship and clinches CFP spot

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Texas Tech wins Big 12 Championship and clinches CFP spot originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Texas Tech hammered BYU 34-7 on Saturday in the Big 12 Championship Game at AT&T Stadium, securing the program’s first league title since the Southwest Conference era and locking up a College Football Playoff berth. The Red Raiders, who entered 11-1 behind Joey McGuire, completed a dominant run through the Big 12 by smothering BYU’s offense and cashing in a series of timely drives from quarterback Behren Morton and his playmakers.​

Both teams came in 11-1 with CFP hopes, with Texas Tech already positioned inside the top four and BYU needing an upset to crash the 12‑team field. The matchup was also a rematch of a November meeting in Lubbock that Texas Tech controlled, and the Red Raiders again dominated on Saturday inside AT&T Stadium.

Texas Tech wins the Big 12 Championship and clinches the College Football Playoff.

BYU struck first when LJ Martin punched in a 10-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter, capped by a Will Ferrin extra point for a 7-0 lead. Texas Tech answered with a Stone Harrington field goal and then seized its first lead early in the second quarter on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Morton to Coy Eakin, followed by another Harrington kick to make it 10-7. Harrington added a late second-quarter field goal to push the Red Raiders’ advantage to 13-7 at halftime.​

Texas Tech blew the game open in the third quarter when Morton found Terrance Carter Jr. on a two-point conversion after an 11-yard scoring run by Cameron Dickey, stretching the margin to 21-7. Harrington’s third field goal of the afternoon and a second Morton-to-Eakin touchdown strike, this time from 28 yards out, pushed the lead to 31-7 midway through the fourth. Harrington tacked on a final field goal in the closing minutes to set the final margin at 34-7.​

Texas Tech College Football Playoff hopes alive after Big 12 Championship win

The win delivered Texas Tech its first Big 12 championship and effectively guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff, where the Red Raiders are expected to earn a top-four seed and first‑round bye.

BYU, which also entered 11-1 under Kalani Sitake, likely falls into the at-large pool for the expanded 12-team field after dropping its second meeting with Texas Tech this season. 

Texas Tech vs. BYU key numbers

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