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On Saturday, Texas Tech can put itself in the program's best position to play for a Big 12 championship since beating Texas in 2008. BYU will be heading into its first top ten matchup in program history. 2,000 students have been camping out all week at Raiderville, ESPN’s College Gameday is in town, Pat McAfee will be broadcasting in Lubbock on Friday afternoon, and a bevy of other college football personalities are circling the city in search of some viral content. 

The rest of the college football world might take fleeting glances at Indiana and Penn State or Georgia vs Mississippi State in the 11:00 o’clock window, but the majority of their eyeballs will be focused on little old Texas Tech, the city of Lubbock and the Big 12 conference.

A week after 3+ million people watched them run away from Kansas State in a huge second half, there might be 6 million people watching them attempt to do the same against the BYU Cougars. 

BYU’s freshman QB Bear Bachmeier is the rock of the Cougars' team. He’s young, but doesn’t play like he's inexperienced. He looks poise, as if he’s in year three of college football, leading BYU to an undefeated record at 8-0. 

Getting to 8-0 for the second straight season hasn't been easy, in their last game they were down early in Ames, but Bachmeier and the opportunistic defense led the comeback. They were down 10 to Arizona on the road. Once again, Bear led scoring drives that erased that deficit to win in double overtime. 

Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston are a dynamic duo at wide receiver and allow Bachmeier to turn short completions into long gains. The rushing attack is led by LJ Martin, who is returning from missing most of the Iowa State game with a shoulder injury. Bachmeier is also a runner, but is more of a solid addition to Martin rather than a focal point. 

The Cougars have beaten some solid opponents this season, but haven’t blown anybody out in Big 12 play. BYU beat Colorado by 3, West Virginia by 14, Arizona by 6 in double OT, Utah by 3, and finally an injured Iowa State by 14. An average margin of victory of eight points. 

Texas Tech’s margin of victory, even with the 5-1 conference record, is 22 points 

The Red Raiders defense has been the key, giving up just 14 points per game while the offense is scoring 35 a game in conference play. Behren Morton’s health is vital to the success of the offense and he’ll need to have a heightened emphasis on ball security against this ball-hawking BYU defense. 

On the other side of the ball, the three amigos at linebacker will need to contain Martin and Bachmeier on the ground while not allowing easy passes over the middle. The Texas Tech defense has done it all season, but they’ll need to rise to the occasion to complete the task at hand this Saturday. 

The moment has never been bigger for Joey McGuire. The opportunity ahead for both Texas Tech as a program are innumerable. With everything going on in Lubbock, it’s an incredible showcase for the Big 12 to take center stage. I have a feeling Texas Tech will be able to rise to the occasion with Jacob Rodriguez and Behren Morton leading the way. 

I’ll take Texas Tech to win by two touchdowns and for the game to hit the over. I’ll take the Red Raiders 35-21. 

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Traveling in for the game? Visit Lubbock has you covered for Things to Do, Can’t Miss Experiences and Where to Stay