Big 12 commissioner to Texas Tech: ‘Take care of business’ against Texas

Normally, commissioners take great pains to remain neutral during conference games. But 2023 isn’t a normal year in the Big 12 with the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners preparing for their departures to the SEC, leaving first-year commissioner Brett Yormark in a position to take a decidedly partisan stance on the regular-season finale for the Longhorns.

Yormark plans to be in Austin for the post-Thanksgiving game between Texas and the Texas Tech Red Raiders, perhaps the last regular-season contest in the near future for the longtime SWC and Big 12 opponents, and had a message for Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire — “take care of business.”

The second-year Texas Tech head coach currently boasts a 1-0 record against Texas thanks to a 37-34 overtime win over the Longhorns last year in Lubbock. A Senior Night game in primetime in Austin, though? Well, that’s another beast entirely for McGuire and his team, picked to finish fourth in the conference.

Then there’s history — the Horns lead the all-time series 54-18 and are coming off two straight blowout victories over the Red Raiders at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and 10 of the last 12 overall in Austin.