No. 4 Texas Tech cashes in football investment with first Big 12 championship game win

Texas Tech's football investment was money well spent.

On Saturday, the College Football Playoff No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders added another chapter to the most successful season in program history with a 34-7 win over the No. 11 BYU Cougars (11-2, 8-1 in Big 12), their first Big 12 championship game victory and program-record 12th win of the season.

Texas Tech's $28M investment leads to College Football Playoff breakthrough

With the victory, Texas Tech (12-1, 8-1 in Big 12) secured not only secured a spot in the College Football Playoff — another program first — but also a first-round bye. 

The Red Raiders throttled BYU for the second time this season, winning their two games against the Cougars by a combined score of 63-14. BYU shouldn't feel ashamed. It's what Texas Tech did all season, winning all 12 games by at least 20 points.

Texas Tech is a legitimate national title contender. The Red Raiders proved on a weekly basis they're a cut above the Big 12 competition and more on the level of teams like No. 1 Ohio State (12-0, 9-0 in Big Ten), No. 2 Indiana (12-0, 9-0 in Big Ten) and No. 3 Georgia (11-1, 7-1 in SEC).

Their incredible season should spur more programs to spend big on NIL deals to attract top recruits. Per On3, Texas Tech ranked first during the 2025 offseason in transfer portal team rankings, with reports revealing the program spent $28M on the roster.

Texas Tech is proof that in today's era of college football, tradition is less important than what programs are willing to spend. The Red Raiders' ascent can serve as a template for other power conference programs long kept out of the spotlight to replicate. The spoils go to the highest bidder.