Top Three Reasons Texas Tech Should Leave the Big 12

Rumors persist about Texas Tech possibly leaving the Big 12 conference, with several reasons emerging recently to support this possibility.

Texas Tech Masked Rider looking to possibly lead the Red Raiders out of the Big 12 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Texas Tech is still a big anchor team in the Big 12—particularly with recent athletic success and major financial investments—but there are plenty of compelling arguments for the Red Raiders to jump to a Power Two league. Texas Tech has several primary reasons for leaving the Big 12, and here are the top three.

No. 3. More annual money comes from joining a Power Two conference.

The financial structure of college sports is creating a huge "Power 2" that is being increasingly dictated by the SEC and Big Ten in the revenue gap (“Power 2” vs. Big 12). Schools in the Big Ten and SEC are likely to receive payouts of $80 million to $90 million per school per year from the TV rights allocation, while Big 12 payouts are usually between $35 and $50 million.

Texas Tech can leverage the significantly more lucrative annual benefits of joining a Power 2 conference to stay in the national title hunt, keep up premium facilities, and support elite Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collectives. High-profile alumni investments, including oil executive Cody Campbell and well-known NIL collectives, demonstrate Texas Tech’s massive booster support. Texas Tech’s athletics department is spending like the nation’s biggest brands.

Remaining in a middle-tier power conference might hamper the university’s national profile. Moving to one of the top two leagues is consistent with the leadership’s goal of making Texas Tech a top-flight, elite national athletic brand.

No. 2. Playing the two most highly profiled teams in the state of Texas annually in football and other sports has many benefits.

If Texas Tech were to join the SEC, it would be reuniting with previous in-state and regional rivals like Texas, Texas A&M, and even other out-of-state schools like Oklahoma and Arkansas. Texas A&M and Texas receive a lot of attention in Texas, but if Texas Tech were in the same conference as them, as they were last in the 2010-2011 season, many college football fans in Texas would see the Big 3 play each other every year. Rivalries are still a significant part of college athletics, and even though leaving the Big 12 would not include annual or semi-annual games with Baylor, TCU, and Houston, most Red Raider fans, whether they would publicly admit it or not, would like to play Texas and Texas A&M annually instead.

A Power 2 schedule ensures that there will be plenty of high-profile matchups each week that will draw big audiences, raising the profile of football and leading to additional seeding power in the expanded College Football Playoff (CFP). Texas Tech, along with playing Texas and Texas A&M annually, would also include games against schools like Florida, Tennessee, and Alabama, for example.

No. 1. The relationship between the Big 12 and Texas Tech may not be repairable, in part, due to the Brendan Sorsby saga.

Texas Tech and Big 12 conference leadership have disagreed at times over conference decisions, disciplinary actions, and public opinion. In the past couple of months, the tension has escalated, with high-profile controversies having caused some members of the Red Raider administration and fanbase to feel as if they are being unfairly targeted or unsupported by conference executives, from NIL disputes to media rights discussions to off-field/roster eligibility rulings (like the widespread drama surrounding quarterback Brendan Sorsby). When a school is in conflict with its conference commissioner and member schools, the goodwill and long-term stability quickly erode.

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