The opening line for the Big 12 Championship Game is out, and Texas Tech is getting a whole lot of respect from Vegas. The Red Raiders have opened as 13-point favorites over BYU, which tells you everything you need to know about how this game is being viewed nationally.
That’s a big number for a title game, especially one that features two teams entering the contest at 10-1. Texas Tech has looked legit all year long, no doubt. They’ve found their rhythm on both sides of the ball, and the offense is finally back to elite with a healthy Behren Morton under center. Still, laying nearly two touchdowns in a championship setting isn’t very normal in the Big 12.
BYU has flown under the radar most of the season, but they didn’t luck their way into Arlington. They’ve played disciplined, smart football and handled the spotlight in the biggest moments. They don’t light up the stat sheet, but they win. That’s more than you can say for a lot of programs that were hyped up back in August.
Now, is BYU going to walk in and out-athlete Texas Tech? Probably not. But they’re not going to get intimidated, either. Kalani Sitake has his guys playing confident football, and they’ve got nothing to lose. That makes them dangerous.
For Tech, this is about proving they’re ready for the spotlight. This is the moment Joey McGuire has been building toward since he took the job. If they come out and dominate, they’ll silence a lot of critics and punch a real ticket to the College Football Playoff. But if they let BYU hang around, that 13-point line starts to look a lot more like a setup than a prediction.
The number tells you what Vegas thinks. But this is the Big 12. Nothing ever goes exactly how it’s supposed to.
Tech is favored for a reason. But BYU has been doubted all year, and they’ve made a habit of proving people wrong. Either way, we’re about to find out what both of these teams are really made of.
