There is no question that ESPN is the driving force behind college football and how it is distributed to the masses. So when that network continues to show blatant disregard for Texas Tech and the Big 12, it is an indication of where the Red Raiders and their conference sit in the pecking order of the sport.
Everyone knows that ESPN prioritizes the SEC because that conference has the largest distribution deal with the network. What's more, the ACC is also in bed with ESPN, meaning that conference gets preferential coverage throughout the week. As for the Big Ten, its status as the dominant power in college football means it gets plenty of attention from ESPN as well. But the Big 12 is an afterthought to that network, and a graphic shared during Thursday night's Syracuse vs. Pitt ACC game was a reminder of that fact.
On that ESPN showed a list of this weekend's biggest games. All but one will be shown on ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPN's parent company, ABC.
The lone game not on the ESPN family of networks was Texas Tech's Friday night home game with Houston, which will air on FOX. What was interesting, though, is that of the six games on the ESPN graphic, only one had the incorrect day listed. Want to take a guess which one that was?
If you guessed it was the Big 12 showdown between Tech and Houston, you would be correct. That's no shock given how little regard ESPN pays to the conference. However, it is still maddening.
One of the premier Big 12 games of the season, Houston at Texas Tech, is tomorrow night on FOX.
— Tyler Dreiling (@TylerDreiling) September 18, 2026
So here’s a graphic that just aired on ESPN showing the game on Saturday, while conveniently showing tomorrow’s ESPN game correctly.
Great work guys. pic.twitter.com/R0U0n9XE3E
It matters that ESPN constantly shortchanges Texas Tech and the Big 12
Unfortunately, the college football world always has been, and probably always will be, driven by perception. Polls and selection committees determine the hierarchy of the sport. That's why it matters that ESPN treats the Big 12 and its members like stray dogs, only feeding them scraps and never giving them equal time or treatment.
The issue is that ESPN has a conflict of interest that no one seems to care to do anything about. That network (and ABC) carry seven out of the 11 College Football Playoff games, meaning they have a vested interest in the ratings.
So how does ESPN control ratings? By manipulating the perception of the teams from the SEC, Big Ten, and ACC so that the traditional powers in those conferences are seen as greater than the teams in the Big 12.
In other words, if ESPN spends 95% of its weekly college football air time promoting and analyzing the greatness of an ACC team like Miami or an SEC team like LSU, then those programs are going to be seen more favorably by the viewers, including those who make the playoff selections and seed the 12-team field.
Sure, those selection members should not be influenced by ESPN's coverage, but let's be real: almost all college football fans and experts have their opinions shaped by that network simply because it is the dominant force in sports media. Few people around the nation turn to FOX Sports or CBS Sports to get their weekly college football analysis because those networks are afterthoughts compared to ESPN.
So even when ESPN spends time breaking down a matchup of mid-tier ACC or SEC teams, it is giving those programs a leg up on the Big 12 teams hoping to earn a playoff spot. Perception is everything in college football, and it is the reason why the Big 12 is the only one of the four major conferences yet to earn two bids to a 12-team playoff field.
Even the ACC, which is no better than the Big 12 in quality, got Clemson and SMU into the 2024 playoff field. Meanwhile, BYU, which beat SMU in Dallas that season, was not awarded an at-large bid despite having a 10-2 regular season.
If ESPN had any scruples, it wouldn't slant its coverage and public opinion toward the leagues it is contractually tied to. But we all know that the network cares only about the profit it stands to make (as is the case with most media entities).
So the Big 12 is going to continue to fight an uphill battle for respect. All the teams in the conference can do is win as many games as possible and hope that the perception around the sport is in their favor despite being the stepchildren of the sport. That's a tough chore, though, given that the media giant that controls college football couldn't care less about the Big 12.
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