PROVO — BYU enters November with a perfect 8-0 record, and having clinched the program’s first-ever consecutive 7-0 starts.

Three years into its Power Four era, the Cougars are in the driver’s seat for a Big 12 title appearance. The College Football Playoff selection committee released its initial rankings Tuesday and BYU checked in at No. 7.

BYU got to 8-0 with three resilient comeback wins, all from double-digit deficits, against Arizona, Utah, and most recently Iowa State. That win over Utah marked the third straight in the rivalry for their best streak since 1989-92.

Holy War dominance, Power Four conference title pursuit, a top-10 playoff ranking … what a time to be a Cougar. On top of that, BYU comes off its second bye week with another national spotlight game. This time they head to Lubbock, Texas, to face No. 8 Texas Tech in a top-10 matchup with the “College GameDay” treatment (10 a.m. MST, ABC).

Game Grader

(Opponent-adjusted statistical dominance via Pick Six Previews)

3-year average (2022-24): BYU 49.3 (36th of 68 Power 4) | Texas Tech 51.5 (32nd)
2024 season: BYU 70.0 (10th) | Texas Tech 50.9 (39th)
2025 season: BYU 63.3 (17th) | Texas Tech 79.3 (3rd)

My Game Grader formula is a measure of statistical dominance that adjusts for opponent strength and is a key piece of my preseason and in-season evaluation.

In my annual season preview magazine Pick Six Previews, I selected BYU to finish eighth in a wide-open Big 12 race. They have exceeded expectations through the first half of the season and are now projected to finish 8-1 in league play.

This offseason, the big-money boosters put together all their West Texas oil money to sign the No. 1 transfer haul in America. Texas Tech was going all-in on 2025. I selected them to play in the Big 12 title game despite most other publications placing them third through seventh in the league.

They have proven me right so far. Tech is 7-1, with all seven wins coming by 23+ points and a +270 average yardage margin.

Their lone loss was a wild one to Arizona State where they were without starting quarterback Behren Morton. They are currently No. 3 overall in my 2025 Game Grader rankings.

BYU with the ball

(Opponent-adjusted metrics, per Pick Six Previews)

BYU offense: 23rd of 68 Power 4 teams, 30th passing, 24th rushing
Texas Tech defense: 9th of 68 Power 4 teams, 9th pass defense, 6th rush defense

TJ Woods has, again, built a strong offensive line here at BYU. The line is one of the few to rank in the top 35 of both my OL run push (No. 13) and my pass protection sack rate (No. 32). But they are set to face arguably the nation’s best defensive line and front seven, and this positional matchup could determine the whole game.

The Lombardi Award (best lineman/linebacker) put out their 11 semifinalists and Tech has two of them in sack-machine David Bailey and backer Jacob Rodriguez. Bailey is the nation’s sack leader with 11.5 (14 TFL), while Rodriguez has already forced seven fumbles, which puts him on pace for a 20-year best in college football.

There are few, if any, weaknesses on this defense, and they are one of just four to rank in the top 10 of all my opponent-adjusted stat categories. But one area BYU can attack is the quarterback run game, as other dual-threats like Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt and Kansas State’s Avery Johnson had success. Will there be a “Bear on the Loose” in Lubbock?

Texas Tech with the ball

(Opponent-adjusted metrics, per Pick Six Previews)

Texas Tech offense: 22nd of 68 Power 4 teams, 29th passing, 26th rushing
BYU defense: 34th of 68 Power 4 teams, 20th pass defense, 53rd rush defense

When you hear Texas Tech you think of explosive offenses, wide-open passing attacks, and West Texas gunslingers. This 2025 edition is no different. Tech is third nationally in scoring, in the top 25 in both passing and rushing, and in the top 20 in both explosive passing and rushing.

Morton was knocked out in the Utah game, backup Will Hammond rallied them in that fourth quarter and three additional wins, but now Morton is back under center. Morton knocked the rust off last week in a 43-20 win over Kansas State (21-of-32, 249 yards, 2 TD’s) and is still the Big 12’s leader in QB rating.

Unlike those 2000s and 2010s Air Raid offenses, this Tech offense has an elite rushing attack to pair with the pass game. Cameron Dickey is a tough runner who rarely goes down on first impact. He posted a 263-yard game against Kansas, which was one of the most in an FBS game this year.

J’Koby Williams is another threat from the backfield, and Tech utilizes him a lot in the pass game.

BYU has kept all opponents under 28 points, but Texas Tech’s offense averages 44 points per game. Utah has a top five rushing attack, Arizona and Iowa State have effective offenses, but this will be the first time BYU faces an offense that is elite in both the pass game and run game.

Game prediction

I will be in Lubbock to witness this one live. For my annual college football road trip, this year I picked West Texas to pair this top 10, “College GameDay” headliner with a high school game at Odessa Permian, as the MOJO Panthers from “Friday Night Lights” are attempting to clinch a district title and begin their run for state.

Texas Tech has been an absolute machine this season. Now that Morton is back healthy, I cannot find a significant weakness on their team. This is their biggest game since Harrell-to-Crabtree to beat No. 1 Texas in 2008.

Despite a schedule disadvantage — sixth straight game compared to BYU fresh off the bye — Tech is the pick.

Texas Tech 37 | BYU 24

Permian 35 | Midland 13