Texas Tech Calls Out the Big 12: Is the Big 12 Holding Texas Tech Back?

Is the Big 12 holding Texas Tech back? Cody Campbell's fight with Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark took the Big 12 by storm this month. 

Texas Tech is one of the biggest storylines in the Big 12 right now, and Rob Breaux joined me to explain why Red Raider fans feel like the rest of the conference still does not fully respect what Tech has become. We discuss Texas Tech’s rising power, the frustration over Big 12 TV decisions, whether the league is putting Tech in the best position, and why so many people around the conference seem uncomfortable with Texas Tech’s rise.

We also dive into whether Texas Tech is built to stay on top of the Big 12, how much better the conference could be this season, what Joey McGuire has built in Lubbock, and why Tech may be leaning into more of a villain role as the money and expectations keep rising.

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Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:57 Where Texas Tech stands with the Big 12
01:17 Why Texas Tech feels capped by the Big 12
02:26 The “new money” feel around Texas Tech
03:56 Friday night games and Big 12 TV frustrations
05:14 Fan base vs. real-life Texas Tech perspective
06:02 Is the real frustration with the rest of the league?
07:53 Is Brett Yormark helping Big 12 football enough?
08:25 Why Tech fans feel isolated
09:16 Texas Tech vs. everybody else
10:20 Respect, resentment and social media backlash
11:29 Why Tech fans feel overlooked
13:14 Should the Big 12 be thanking Texas Tech?
14:21 Reconciliation with the rest of the league
15:04 SEC talk, villain role and NIL leadership
17:00 Was Friday night actually best for the Big 12?
17:51 What can calm the Texas Tech tension?
19:36 How quickly Joey McGuire changed everything
21:13 Does Texas Tech need to change its tone?
22:26 Can the Big 12 get two playoff teams?
23:09 Will Texas Tech be as good this year?
27:28 Could Texas Tech handle a $100 million roster?
28:44 Where to find Rob Breaux

#Big12 #TexasTech #CollegeFootball #JoeyMcGuire #BrettYormark #RobBreaux #TexasTechFootball #OpenForBusiness

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

All right, welcome back to Open for Business. I am John Kurtz. I'm joined now by my good friend Rob Bro, who does sports radio in Lubbock, double T. You see the logo behind him. You know him from the gambling gamut shows back in the day as well, right? He's been around tech circles for a long time. We had a great chat the other day on his show, which you guys should all check out, the Rob Breaux Podcast. But I want to dive into the mind more of like the tech psyche on all this because when everything went down between the Big 12 and Brent Yormark and Cody Campbell, everybody had an opinion about it that really sparked a lot of feelings, I think, on both sides of the aisle of that debate and other Big 12 fan bases. And I want to make sure we're getting like the full tech perspective on this. So, Rob, I appreciate the time, first of all, but when you reflect back on that, you look back on that, the dust has now settled a bit, things have calmed down. Where do you think tech fans are with the Big 12 right now in general?

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Yeah, so I think the Big 12 right now with Texas Tech is in a fine spot. Um, but it is frustrating to be a program that's trying to you know get above their place, it's trying to do things that have never been done here. You're trying to elevate yourself, right? Here at Texas Tech. And that's the whole thing. It's like, well, now you're gonna try to win Big 12 championships, and the whole conversation is, well, you've never done it before. I was like, well, yeah, last year is the first year, and hopefully this year is the second year, and the year after that's the third year. That's the mindset you have to have, right? Um, and it it feels like with the Big 12 right now, there's just a hard ceiling, and it's capped. And I think that's what Texas Tech fans are frustrated with. Like all of a sudden, for the first time that a lot of us alive can remember, right? Uh, we're in a power position, whether it's in the conference, um, uh whether it's potentially nationally, like this is new territory for us. So there is a little bit of that new money feel with Texas Tech. And I think just with the Big 12 specifically, I don't think we want to be treated like Texas. I don't think we want to demand uh the Texas Tech studios instead of the Big 12 studios. We're fine with that. But I do think there's a little bit of, hey, why are we not why are we not trying to make this a better conference for everybody and in turn for Texas Tech? Because right now, all the conversation is like the call she odds today for for a team to be undefeated, Texas Tech's only get 47%. Is that more about the national respect for Texas Tech right now or the disrespect for Big 12? We want to better the Big 12, and is bettering the Big 12 not putting Texas Tech in a position like big noon kickoff instead of Friday night? And I do think there has to be some sort of hey, if you're 0 and 18 in your last 18 conference games and beyond, maybe you play on Friday night, and not the team that just won the Big 12 title. But I don't see to me, to a Texas Tech fan, that's not that's not Texas Tech fans being cocky, it's just the Label in. If Kansas State won the Big 12 last year, I feel like they should be rewarded and not quote unquote punished. Well, you sign the deal, yeah. But when we signed the deal, it was the first three weeks, right? In the Big 12 that you're playing on Fox, is that not probably a non-conference game? That's that's the only expectation here that you're taking the biggest game in Lubbock, potentially that you have on the schedule, and you put it on Friday night, which hurts specifically Texas Tech because we are a fan base that has to travel to the game. And I don't know that people understand Texas always. We're we're in the middle of nowhere, and there's a lot of Lubbock fans, there's a lot of fans in Lubbock. There's no doubt that we can fill up 60,000 seats. A lot of the other Big 12 schools have to fill out 40. Uh, there's no doubt that we can fill out 60, but it's gonna be um an effort to do that, and that's the frustrating part to me. So, again, there were some comments like, oh, here's the arrogant Texas Tech fan from uh somebody on our last conversation. It's like I don't I don't see it that way. And I know the burners of the Texas Tech universe maybe come off that way sometimes, but I really don't think that's what it is with the Big 12 right now.

SPEAKER_00 4:41

And some of this conversation, I think it's an important distinction you make at the end there. Some of this is like, yeah, what is burner culture on Twitter, and Twitter's not real life, and we get too bogged down, and then you know, the people that go straight to the oh, you know, well, we'll just leave for the SEC type of thing. I mean, that's that's not everybody with Texas Tech. I don't think that's Cody Campbell right now, right? Like that's that's not real. To me, what I'm picking up on here is like I get a sense that some of this, because we had this talk on your show, like some of it is like, hey, the the Big 12 TV deal, it's a little, it's a little tough to try and play the predictive game and be reactive every single year to how you're gonna set up the TV schedule and there's a danger in that potentially. But some of this I'm just picking up seems like almost like a frustration with just the rest of the league, as opposed to like Brett Yormark in the league office. It's like, hey, the rest of the league, why can't everybody pick it up right now the way tech is financially? Am I am I reading into that correctly?

SPEAKER_01 5:40

100%. And I think this offseason you've seen a lot more. Um, I think Oklahoma State did a great job. I think Kansas State did a pretty good job in the portal. Um, Houston has kind of sneakily put themselves in a really good position. I think Houston could be a top four team in the league, but yeah, last year it just seemed like it was a rough go. And my frustration specifically, I don't know that this is everyone in in the Texas Tech world, but my frustration with the Big 12 has been you know decades building because you let in 2009-10, you let Missouri and Colorado and Texas AM get away, and you replaced them with TCU and West Virginia, and you you couldn't get the Louisville deal done, and then you sit on your hands for a decade, right? And the status quo while everyone else is passing you, and you're like, Whoa, but we're in a good position, right? Because we have Texas and Oklahoma, and then you let them leave, and I just see that repeating itself a little bit with your mark is you know, we're in a pretty good position, and I know he's done a bunch, and you're trying to make money in new ways, and the landscape and the culture has changed so much, but also you just have to let's focus on the football a little bit because that's the moneymaker, and I don't know that Brett Yormark, the football guy, is putting the Big 12 in the best position. And I don't know what that is, really. Yeah, I I'm not the I'm not the guy with the answers, I'm just asking some questions.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Yeah, and and look, I mean, uh like I said to tech fans when they started raising this issue, like there is a discussion to be had over like these specific TV decisions being made and what is best. Like, is it best to play for big noon versus Friday night? Like, I I think it's a legit debate. I do think like I think tech Houston, maybe we can we can start some of that conversation here. Like, don't you think tech Tech Houston on Friday night like that will that will do a pretty good number? Like that's gonna hit a pretty big number.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

So I don't know what else was played that night. The big 12 games that I saw early on that I've looked at hit about two million. The like Minnesota, Minnesota and somebody like Rutgers, hit like nearly a three on Friday night. And so, yeah, if you're gonna go out and put a three, I think that's good for the Big 12. And I don't know that there's another game that weekend that would put up a three on Friday. Um, but I also think like there's a growing frustration with Texas Tech fans. Um, and I think you just have to get into the mind of a Texas Tech fan, period. Let's let's try to do it. It's a little bit of a dangerous place, John. But just I'm gonna invite you in here. Um we as a West Texas people uh are pretty much alone out here, right? So it is a very aggressive, like you have to be tough to live here, right? Not not just like oh here I am, cowboy kind of guy, but it is a kind of a barren wasteland, right? You gotta you have to have a right mindset to live here and enjoy it. Um, and I think Joey McGuire uh preaches West Texas stuff, and he's the kind of guy that's out here doing it. Um but it is uh it is a kind of a lonely place out here, and so it is Texas Tech versus everybody else, right? And so I I think some of the frustration too is you've won the league once, and you're coming off the worst decade you had in school history, basically. And I I do think that there is a slow um I think there's a slow, reluctant feel from the rest of the league to accept that Texas Tech is good now. And I think that is frustrating tech fans too, because we're a little bit desperate for some respect. And the Big 12's not getting any respect, and in turn, Texas Tech's not getting any respect. Now, I don't know how much they've earned as a fan base. I don't know how much we've earned, right? And we're certainly antagonistic on on social media, but it does feel like the team has earned some respect, and it just doesn't feel like they get it either because it's just well, they bought it, right? Well, they bought their team. Why would they deserve respect at all? It's like, well, you buy a team and and maybe we'll respect you too. I don't know. It just seems like there's a disconnect between not only Texas Tech and the Big 12 a little bit, but also just with fan bases, it doesn't feel like like Kansas State and Texas Tech. I feel like for a little bit had a little bit of a simpatico. There was the hateful eight run. Um, you know, we're friendly with uh Oklahoma State for a while, Iowa State certainly had some some decent run-ins with them, but it doesn't feel like anybody likes Texas Tech right now.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

Which, I mean, you make a lot of really the thing that really strikes me there is the distinction between fan base and team. Because I think you're right. I think if it were like in a vacuum, this Texas Tech team and like the program, I think there probably would be a different level of respect from most fans if it were just left at that. So much of it comes down to everybody's interaction with the fan base. But then when we get to the fan base, I'm like, look, someone came to me the other day and sent me an email in response to one of my newsletters and was like, hey, you got to understand about tech fans, like not only what you're saying, like, are you isolated, but you know, you're in the same state with Texas and Texas AM, right? I mean, you're dealing with all of the BS that comes with those fan bases all day, every day, and have for years and decades and lifetimes, right? So that sort of breeds that attitude. And I guess the point that I would make, like in in favor of Texas Tech here, that I think is a good thing that you've been hinting at through a lot of this, is like, regardless of what you think, okay, it's been one year, is that enough respect earned? Whatever, tech clearly has stepped up financially and is going to do everything they can to be a player here. Like the conversation we were just having before we hopped on air about the you know, it was just like, oh yeah, they'll they'll have this money for this player. And I'm like thinking in my head, I'm like, that's like the state's entire NIL roster right now, right? Like tech is stepping up big time and can pull the rest of the league along with it. And I think whether or not tech's gonna win the league this year or just start winning, ripping off league titles every single year, Texas Tech financially being where they're at, whether you like the state of college sports or not, it's the reality, is something that I think is going to undoubtedly help the league because everyone's gonna have to play catch up as much as they can to it.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

Well, and I like what is it, the the rising tide lifts all boats? Yeah, it just feels like there should be some. I don't want to sing kumbaya with the rest of the league, right? I'm not I don't think Texas Tech fans just want to walk around and and have everybody kiss the ring, but there's no kudos whatsoever, right? I think the only other team that you might have some of that with is BYU. Yeah. And what are they doing? They're also spending money, and uh, they were the the most competitive team with Texas Tech last year. They made the Big 12 championship. By the way, I don't know that Texas Tech is going to be as good as they were last year. Uh, and I think the Big 12 is much better than they were last year. I don't expect Texas Tech to have a 21 points per game margin of victory in the conference uh this year. Um, but I do think that Texas Tech is one of the favorites again. And again, the TV thing to me, um, we've all said our piece, right? Now it's just uh to borrow another big 12 phrase, spot the ball, right? Just let's just do it. Um, you could play Tuesday on the moon, and I would want Joey McGuire to have his team ready and prepared. So I do think that the TV thing was a big issue, right? Just for a week. Um, but now I I do think that there has to be some kind of reconciliation with Texas Tech, the fan base and the other fan bases, uh, whether it's just the hateful eight, we can all go back to hating Utah together, um, whatever it is, but there has to be some reconciliation if this league is gonna survive. And I'll speak to the SEC stuff or the Big Ten stuff. Um, you know, if Texas Tech wanted to go to the SEC, they would have to be invited. That's just how it works. But you're not gonna get an invite if you're not spending at an SEC level or performing at an SEC level. So that's what Texas Tech has to keep doing. And if if that makes everyone you know upset at Texas Tech, that's just gonna have to be how it is. Um, but I uh to me, Texas Tech has done everything in the right way, uh in the gar in the guidelines of the rules, right? They started the Matador Club, which was on the forefront, the cutting edge, right before a lot of the big 12 schools did so. And I feel like they've been an NIL leader. Um and some people call them Tamper Tech's University instead of Texas Tech, but I don't see a lot of that going on. Um, and so if you want to hate Texas Tech, by all means, I think we're pretty good at the villain role, but I do think there has to be some sort of reconciliation with the league just to move the league forward. Because I want the Big 12 to be great. I think a lot of people hear me talk and say, well, that's just a Texas Tech fan. He just wants Texas Tech to be great. I want the Big 12 to be good. I've been a Big 12 fan since 1996 when Kansas State and Texas Tech played the first ever Big 12 football game, and it's pretty much my entire life as been a as a Big 12 fan. I want this league to survive. Um, I didn't want to go to the Pac-12 when Texas and Oklahoma left. I did for like two weeks, but that was a bit. Um, you could probably find some some tweet where I said let's go to the Pac-12. But I I want this league to improve and I want this league to be great, and I want Texas Tech to be at the top of it, obviously, but it just feels like there has to be some sort of um some sort of reconciliation here. And again, if if it's best for the Big 12 for Texas Tech to go put up a 3.5 on a Friday night with Houston, so be it. But it's also frustrating. Like both of those things can be true. If it's best for the Big 12 for Texas Tech and Houston to play on Friday, fine. But just if your mark had said that at the beginning, I think a lot of it goes away. Like, hey, Cody, I understand your frustration, it does suck, but this is the hand we've been dealt, and you're perfect for it. So let's make the best of it. Like that that's how long how far would that have gone uh with the fan base and um with the game itself.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

One thing I'm curious about, you said hey, tech may not be as good this year as they were last year. Do you say that just because of like just general roster turnover, right? And you are changing as much as we kill Baron Morton for what happened in the the playoff game against Oregon, like he was a guy that had been around the program so long. He had a very high floor, right? We'll put it that way. And now you're Brendan Soresby's much more talented, I think, higher ceiling, but what is the floor? And obviously, David Bailey, guys like that, you're replacing with the next version of them, but will it all sync up the way that it did last year? Is it just a matter of that, or is it something beyond that that has you thinking that?

SPEAKER_01 17:52

Uh I think the offense will be more dynamic. Um, I'm really excited about Micah Hudson. I know you've probably heard that before, but year three in the program, I really do think that he's due for a breakout. Uh, your la your only receiver back that was you know a contributor is Koy Aken. Um, I think Terrence Carter, the tight end, is is really gonna be good. And I think you have three really good running backs, and Brendan Sorsby should be a game changer. Um defensively, can you go from you know 10 points a game to 17 points a game given up and still be the best defense in the Big 12? Yes, you have some margin of error there. Um but you could have nine guys drafted from Texas Tech in the NFL draft this year. That is unheard of here. Um I think you have to go back to 2017 if you have if you have 15 guys drafted like this year and next year, because I think that's possible. 15 guys drafted in the the 26 and 27 drafts, you have to go back to from 25 to 17 to have that total. There's been one or two a year, and so yeah, I think if you get nine guys drafted, you're losing nine draftable players. You're it's gonna take some time to get back. Is a birgba, Matina Birgba, as good as Lee Hunter? Are White and Trick Height and Bailey? Is Austin Romaine Jacob Rodriguez? Um, is uh one of the young sophomores uh Peyton Morgan looks like he's gonna be a starter. Is he Cole Wisnewski? Uh does does Ben Roberts uh take a step into Jacob Rodriguez's shoes? There's just a lot of questions. Um I think this defense can still be one of the best. I have full faith in Shield Wood, but I do think that it was a little bit of a perfect storm defensively last year. And what happens at Kansas State, let's say, if you can't weather the storm offensively and hold them off at the end and just beat them up, right? Um, what does that game look like in the fourth quarter if your defense isn't quite as good? What does the Arizona State game look like if you punt 10 times in a row and your defense can't hold them at bay for as long as they did? You probably don't take a lead in the fourth quarter. Um, so yeah, I do think there's gonna be less of a margin of error here with this defense, but I still think you can be very good. Like again, you can be 10 points worse in top three in the Big 12 defensively. So I just you were really good last year, and I think it'll look different. I don't know that you're gonna be as explosive in the pass rush. Um, but I don't I don't see any huge drop-off. Um, and then offensively, you you were one of the most explosive teams last year as far as uh 10 plus yard plays. It was you and Oregon. But I think we all could watch the games and say that you didn't have the consistency you needed offensively. Um I think the offense will be a little more consistent this year. So are you are you equally as better on offense as you are? Maybe a little bit of a drop off defensively. I don't know. We'll see.

SPEAKER_00 21:29

Rob, tell everybody where they can find your podcast, your radio show, all that good stuff.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

Yeah, you can find us on YouTube at Double T Sports Network. You can find me at Rob Bro Show on Twitter, and you can find us online. We write and uh produce content at double t sports network.com.