BYU (11-1, 8-1) vs. Texas Tech (11-1, 8-1)
- Kickoff: Saturday, 10 a.m. MST
- Venue: AT&T Stadium (capacity: 80,000)
- TV: ABC
- Livestream: espn.com/live
- Radio: KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM/BYU Radio Sirius XM 143
- Series: Texas Tech leads, 2-1 (last meeting: 2025)
The trends
For BYU: The Cougars won 11 regular-season games for the first time since 2001 and are a win away from their first conference title since 2007.
Additionally, a victory Saturday would put BYU in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. A loss, however, would most likely keep the Cougars boxed out of the bracket. It’s the biggest game for the school since 1984.
BYU ranks No. 3 in the Big 12 in scoring offense (34.0 points per game) and No. 2 in scoring defense (17.8 points per game).
For Texas Tech: The Red Raiders are searching for their first sole conference championship since 1955, having never played in a conference championship game before.
Texas Tech ranks first in the Big 12 in both scoring offense (43.2 points per game) and scoring defense (11.3 points per game).
Key player
LJ Martin, junior, running back, BYU. Martin was banged up and largely ineffective in BYU’s first meeting with Texas Tech, but the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year is riding a recent hot streak into Arlington.
Over the past two games, Martin has rushed for 317 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Cougars clinch the opportunity to play in Saturday’s title game.
Texas Tech’s defense is elite, and Martin’s contributions will be critical for BYU’s success against such a unit. The Cougars may need to lean on their bell cow more than ever before.
Quotable
“We’re looking forward to being at our best, because it’s required of us when playing the best team in the nation, and that’s Texas Tech.” —BYU coach Kalani Sitake
“I’m sitting there watching (BYU’s) last few games since we played, and they just keep getting better and better. I think (Sitake’s) got one of the best freshmen in the country at quarterback (Bear Bachmeier) and got an incredible staff. So, we’re really honored. We’re excited. We do feel like we’ve earned our right to play in this game.
“... I know there’s a lot of Red Raiders that are fired up and are going to be there in Arlington and have been waiting for this moment for us playing (in the) Big 12 championship. I’m excited, it’s gonna be an incredible game, and what’s gonna be fun is the stadium will be packed.” —Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire
BYU schedule
- Aug. 30 — defeated Portland State, 69-0
- Sept. 6 — defeated Stanford, 27-3
- Sept. 20 — defeated East Carolina, 34-13
- Sept. 27 — defeated Colorado, 24-21
- Oct. 3 — defeated West Virginia, 38-24
- Oct. 11 — defeated Arizona, 33-27
- Oct. 18 — defeated Utah, 24-21
- Oct. 25 — defeated Iowa State, 41-27
- Nov. 8 — lost to Texas Tech, 29-7
- Nov. 15 — defeated TCU, 44-13
- Nov. 22 — defeated Cincinnati, 26-14
- Nov. 29 — defeated UCF, 41-21