{"id":131391,"date":"2026-01-21T04:04:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T04:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/131391\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T04:04:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T04:04:10","slug":"indianas-national-title-what-it-means-for-the-big-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/131391\/","title":{"rendered":"Indiana\u2019s National Title & What It Means for the Big 12"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a> Tuesday Takes: Four Top Takeaways This Week in the Big 12<\/p>\n

Welcome to Tuesday Takes, where I give you four takes from the Big 12<\/a>. It was a jam-packed week full of exciting news, but there were several things that caught my attention over the last few days.<\/p>\n

If Indiana Can, So Can Anyone Else<\/p>\n

Monday\u2019s national championship game was an instant classic, and the Hoosiers are now on top of the college football world. No disrespect to Indiana, but if someone would have told me two years ago that we would be sitting here on championship Monday in 2026 crowning Indiana then I would have asked you to seek help immediately.<\/p>\n

In a world where everyone talks about Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State sometimes teams from these conferences can be overlooked. Indiana was good but nobody had them winning it all this season. Heck, even Miami wasn\u2019t supposed to be here either, but they found a way to beat three really good teams to put themselves in a position to play for a title.<\/p>\n

It just goes to show you that the sport has truly evolved. You no longer need to be a blueblood to win a National Championship. If you can commit to using your resources to build a veteran roster and get the right coach in place, then anything is possible. Congrats to Curt Cignetti and Indiana for one hell of a year.<\/p>\n

Texas Tech Will Be Here Next Year<\/p>\n

Maybe I am just being emotional here, but I am calling my shot. Texas Tech<\/a> will be playing for a national championship next season. I know the result this season wasn\u2019t ideal against Oregon. To simply put it, they didn\u2019t have the offense to compete.<\/p>\n

Defensively, they showed the country that they are one of the best if not the best defense in college football. The only reason they were even in that game in the first place was because of that outstanding defense.<\/p>\n

But instead of sulking, Texas Tech went out and addressed some needs. They added quarterback Brendan Sorsby from the portal along with several key defensive transfers to reload on defense.<\/p>\n

That Orange Bowl left a bad taste in their mouth, and I just know that Joey McGuire and his staff are chomping at the bit to have another crack at the playoff next season. It\u2019s hard to predict what will happen in the Big 12 next season but one thing I know is that Texas Tech will get back to the playoff and win some games.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The Calendar Needs to Change<\/p>\n

As great as the title game was, the timing of all of it felt all off. Coming into Monday, it felt like nobody was talking about the big game. In fact, all anyone could talk about from the weekend was the NFL playoff which were absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n

If you watch any show on ESPN, FOX or your local news, the leading sports story was the NFL. While I do love the NFL, college football has and always will be my first football love.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it pains me to see this game feel like an afterthought. What\u2019s crazy is that this game will actually be played a week later next year which seems like a terrible idea. College football needs to figure out a way to change the calendar for the portal, the playoff and just about everything because it\u2019s so screwed up.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t need to be starting the season in August and ending it in late January. There is way too much time between the last game of the regular season and championship game. Shorten it up and keep people interested in it.<\/p>\n

What a Season<\/p>\n

I know we are in the heart of basketball season, but with the final college football game being played I thought I would put a bow on the year. Obviously, the Big 12 football season didn\u2019t end the way we all wanted it to but damn it was a fun one.<\/p>\n

Texas Tech proved to everyone that they were good enough to put their money where their mouth is and then we saw BYU once again win a bunch of games despite not being picked to do anything.<\/p>\n

Football season always seems to go by way too fast, but so does the rest of the year. And the older I get, the faster it goes. Before you know it, Big 12 media days will be here and kickoff will ramp up once again. I look forward to another great football season with you here at Heartland College Sports.<\/p>\n