HC Joey McGuire’s expensive offseason defensive rebuild paid off. Texas Tech just got their first Big 12 conference championship in seven decades. The Red Raiders handled BYU 34-7, capped off a 12-1 run, and secured the first outright league title in 70 years. But while the win validates every dollar they spent, little did we know the real story sits in the motivation behind their most physical defender.

DL Lee Hunter entered the Big 12 Championship with a personal motivation that extended beyond the stakes of the playoff bracket. And it was Joey McGuire who let the world know why getting a first round bye is tremendously important to him. 

“He said, ‘Coach, I heard we could possibly get Christmas off.’ And I said, ‘yeah, we’ll figure out the time and everything where y’all can go home, but you’re going to get Christmas off,’” the Red Raiders’ HC told reporters in his media speech on December 7. “He said, ‘So I’m going to get to see my daughter.’ And I said, yeah. And he goes, ‘You shouldn’t have told me that coach. They’re in trouble.’ And it was really like, he was really serious. I thought he was joking. He goes, ‘I can play even harder coach.’ And so I was like, okay, well, I think somebody might have reminded him before the game. They’re trying to keep you away from your daughter on Christmas.”

But that urgency carried into a playoff race where Texas Tech now controls its December calendar.

With the 12-team College Football Playoff set, Texas Tech enters the field ranked No. 4 and is positioned for a first-round bye. Under the new format, the top four conference champions skip the opening weekend and advance directly to the quarterfinals, giving Joey McGuire’s team nearly three weeks off before playing on either New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. The Red Raiders won all 12 of their victories by at least 20 points, placing them firmly in the conversation for a national title and giving Lee Hunter the path home he hoped for. But to understand why his impact mattered, you have to go back to where his season began.

Lee Hunter arrived in Lubbock as part of a defensive rebuild that reportedly cost Texas Tech $7 million and immediately justified the investment. A former UCF standout with 131 tackles and 5.5 sacks from 2022-24, he transferred after last season and earned First Team All-Big 12 honors with 30 tackles and 2.5 sacks entering the championship. Against No. 11 BYU, with the Cougars playing for a playoff spot, the 6’4, 325-pound DL delivered one of his most complete performances of the year, finishing with four tackles and helping shut down an offense that never recovered from Texas Tech’s pressure.

Joey McGuire’s defense controlled the game from the opening series, forcing four turnovers and limiting BYU to just two trips past midfield both on the first drives of each half. Bear Bachmeier threw two interceptions, the Cougars generated only 63 yards on their other 11 possessions, and the Red Raiders replicated the shutdown performance they delivered in Week 11.

BYU tried a different approach by throwing behind the line of scrimmage to avoid Texas Tech’s front seven, but the linebackers closed every gap. Jacob Rodriguez posted 13.5 tackles, John Curry added 10, and Ben Roberts secured two interceptions, including a one-hander that earned him Most Outstanding Player. With no major adjustments needed, the defense held the Cougars’ offense to seven points again while giving them short fields on nearly every drive, including five second-half possessions starting in BYU territory. And the numbers underline why the HC Kalani Sitake left the field convinced.

Big 12 shift after Texas Tech’s statement win

As one of only six programs to compete in all 30 Big 12 seasons, Texas Tech played spoiler to the league’s hopes of sending two teams to the playoff. Kalani Sitake didn’t hold back after the 27-point loss.

“I’ve said it before, I think they’re the best team in the country and I’m confirming it,” he said. “They’re the best team in the country. It just so happens that we had to play the best team in the country twice.”

BYU’s only two losses this year came against Joey McGuire’s Red Raiders, including a 29-7 defeat in Lubbock last month. This most recent loss disqualified their playoff chances. 

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Texas Tech’s win delivered the program’s first Big 12 Championship and its first outright conference title since 1955. The Red Raiders completed the first 12-win season in school history, and all 12 victories came by at least 20 points. With their current No. 4 ranking, Texas Tech is positioned to advance directly to the quarterfinals.

Joey McGuire, in his fourth year, had his expectations fulfilled about landing that bye. His team has won its last three ranked Big 12 matchups after previously being 5-12 in such games, another indicator of the change under him. Now, he’s giving his team 24 hours to celebrate their success, but this time the Red Raiders are in line for nearly three weeks of rest before their next game. And Lee Hunter can call his little princess to say he’s coming home for Christmas.