Big 12 Commissioner Urges Texas Tech to Beat Texas Ahead of Longhorns' SEC Move

Even though Texas is still a member of the Big 12 for one more season, commissioner Brett Yormark isn't above rooting against the program before it leaves for the SEC.

Speaking at Texas Tech's Red Raider Club kickoff luncheon on Wednesday, Yormark delivered a message to Red Raiders head football coach Joey McGuire.

"Coach [McGuire], I'm not going to put any pressure on you, but I'm gonna be in Austin for Thanksgiving, OK? And you'd better take care of business like you did right here in Lubbock last year," Yormark said.

In June 2021, Texas and Oklahoma accepted an invitation from the SEC to join the conference. The two schools were charter members of the Big 12 when the conference debuted in 1996.

After initially planning to move before the 2025-26 athletic season, Texas and Oklahoma agreed to an early exit deal with the Big 12 that allows them to join the SEC starting in 2024.

The football rivalry between Texas and Texas Tech has been dominated by the Longhorns, but the Red Raiders are currently riding high after their 37-34 overtime win last year.

After the game, McGuire's postgame speech in the locker room garnered a lot of attention when he declared the "country's gonna find out that everything runs through Lubbock."

It was the first time Texas Tech defeated Texas since November 2017. The loss came two weeks after the Longhorns nearly upset then-No. 1 ranked Alabama that got them ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

This year's matchup between the Red Raiders and Longhorns will be the final regular season game for both teams. It will be played at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium on Nov. 24.

Texas Tech hasn't beaten Texas in back-to-back years since 1997 and 1998.