LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A rematch that has everyone, including Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, eagerly waiting in anticipation will finally kickoff this weekend at 11 a.m. on Saturday in AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The Big 12 Conference Championship game between Texas Tech and BYU will see the culmination of both teams’ bodies of work in the regular season, something Yormark believes should be taken into consideration.
“Both teams got to Arlington by earning it on the field with impressive 11-1 records,” Yormark said. “Both programs are not only worthy of competing for the Big 12 title, but they both deserve to be in the (College Football Playoff) based on their resumes and their body of work.”
The relationship between Texas Tech and BYU football runs parallel to the one between coach Joey McGuire and coach Kalani Sitake.
“I’m really fired up,” McGuire said. “I get to play a good friend in Kalani. I love that dude, I think we’re a lot alike. We’re high-energy guys, we have two physical teams. I think the two best teams in the conference are playing this weekend.”
Sitake gave high-praise to the Red Raiders, who beat the Cougars in Lubbock on ESPN’s College Gameday.
“Texas Tech is a complete team with a great coach, great coaching staff, and on all three phases, they play amazing football,” Sitake said. “I think they’re the best team in the country, so when you look at it that way, we have our work cut out for us.”
McGuire joined a program that had only been ranked for two weeks after the 2013 season. He says he’s grateful Texas Tech is where it’s at today, just one win away from a 12-1 regular season and a conference title.
“We had a vision four years ago and we got some incredible people in our administration and our donors that really got behind it,“ McGuire said. ”Between the building of the new facilities and revenue sharing and things like that, we pushed our chips all in this year, and we feel like it paid off.“
As Texas Tech gets ready for a physical battle to determine the best in the conference, the moment is not lost on the program, and McGuire said the team is ready to show what the Red Raiders are all about with the whole country watching live from AT&T Stadium.
“It’s exciting and it means a lot to this town and it means a lot to Red Raider nation. We can’t wait to get there,” McGuire said.
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