{"id":107239,"date":"2026-01-01T07:12:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T07:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/107239\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T07:12:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T07:12:25","slug":"texas-tech-heads-to-orange-bowl-with-big-12s-best-team-in-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/107239\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Tech Heads to Orange Bowl With Big 12\u2019s Best Team in Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It truly is crazy what a difference a year can make. Last season, Arizona State<\/a> went from being picked to finish dead last in the preseason to winning the conference. And even though they barely got into the college football playoff, the Sun Devils earned a first-round bye.<\/p>\n

Arizona State faced Texas in the Peach Bowl on New Year\u2019s Day and were once again underdogs just like they had been all year. In fact, Texas was a 13.5-point favorite heading into the game, and all anyone could ask of the Sun Devils was to keep it close.<\/p>\n

They did much more than keep the game close because they were a fourth-down stop away in overtime from shocking the college football world. Despite the heartbreaking loss, many people were proud of the way they fought in that game. To go from where they started to where they ended up was truly incredible.<\/p>\n

However, things have changed in the Big 12 this year. Texas Tech stepped up its resources and shelled out a lot of money to put together a football team. On paper, everyone knew the talent they had, yet it all had to come together.<\/p>\n

There are countless examples across the country of schools paying a ton of money to construct a football team that doesn\u2019t meet expectations. There is no better example than Florida State, which has failed to even make a bowl game in the last two years.<\/p>\n

But make no mistake about it, Texas Tech has lived up to the hype and then some. The Red Raiders ran through the Big 12 with their 12-1 record, including a dominating conference championship win over BYU, whom they have beaten twice this season.<\/p>\n

Their lone loss of the year came against Arizona State on the road in a game where they didn\u2019t even have their starting quarterback. And if you watched that game, Tech was in total control until the very end, and they only ended up losing by four.<\/p>\n

Outside of that, Texas Tech has beaten everyone else on its schedule by at least 20 points or more. In fact, they averaged 42.5 points per game this season while giving up just 10.9 points per game which just goes to show how dominant they have been.<\/p>\n

Tech is at the top of nearly every major statistic on both sides of the ball. Over the years, we have seen some great teams come out of the Big 12. The 2023 Texas team was balanced, and those Oklahoma teams with Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray had offenses that were nearly impossible to stop.<\/p>\n

As good as some of those teams were, they all had their fair share of flaws. Texas would occasionally play down to competition in 2023, and as great as those Oklahoma offenses were under Lincoln Riley, their defenses were some of the worst in college football.<\/p>\n

This Texas Tech team is the most complete team that I have ever seen coming out of the Big 12. Their offense can put up a ton of points, and they aren\u2019t afraid to get their hands dirty and run the football. Meanwhile, their defense is right up there with anyone in the country, including Ohio State, which many call the best defense in college football. This is the best Big 12 defense since the 2009 Nebraska team that had Ndamukong Suh.<\/p>\n

On New Year\u2019s Day, Texas Tech will face Oregon in the Orange Bowl in the quarterfinals. And despite being the four seed like Arizona State was a year ago, this year is different. Forget about keeping it close; the Red Raiders are more than capable of winning this game.<\/p>\n

Thursday provides an opportunity not just for Texas Tech but for the Big 12 as well. Over the years, the conference has been given a negative reputation when it comes to the playoff. Even though they may not be favored to win, the Red Raiders shouldn\u2019t be viewed as some underdog.<\/p>\n

This team isn\u2019t Arizona State from a year ago or even Texas from two years ago. They are better, and they will get their chance to prove it against Oregon. Nobody is asking Texas Tech to just keep it close; they are asked to win. For their own sake and for the sake of the Big 12, the time to change history starts in Miami.<\/p>\n