It feels weird to celebrate the Texas Tech defense as much as we're able to this year. Weird in a good way. It's refreshing in so many ways. Texas Tech's defense is among the best in the country, which is just not something we've ever been able to say in all honesty and in good faith over the past two decades or so.
But it's true this year. It's definitely true. And it looks like the Red Raiders have the most dominant defense in the Big 12, which is so much fun to think about.
After Texas Tech's game against Kansas (a game in which the Red Raiders defense absolutely terrorized Jalon Daniels and the Jayhawks offense with nine sacks and 14 tackles for loss), the Red Raiders are maintaining the best scoring defense in the Big 12.
And that, my friends, is absolutely something we should be celebrating as often as we possibly can right now. The Red Raiders defense is legitimately a force to be reckoned with this season and few teams are having much luck as they try to reckon with it.
Big 12 stats: Texas Tech's defense claims the top spot as the No. 1 scoring defense in the Big 12 in Week 8
Let's take a look at how the Red Raiders defense stacks up amongst the rest of the Big 12 right now ahead of Texas Tech's matchup with Arizona State:
- Texas Tech Red Raiders - 12.2 points per game
- Utah Utes - 13.8 points per game
- BYU Cougars - 14.7 points per game
- Houston Cougars - 17.5 points per game
- UCF Knights - 17.8 points per game
- Arizona Wildcats - 18.5 points per game
- Iowa State Cyclones - 19 points per game
- Cincinnati Bearcats - 19.2 points per game
- Kansas Jayhawks - 23.6 points per game
- Colorado Buffaloes - 23.7 points per game
- Arizona State Sun Devils - 24.7 points per game
- TCU Horned Frogs - 24.7 points per game
- Kansas State Wildcats - 27 points per game
- West Virginia Mountaineers - 28.5 points per game
- Baylor Bears - 29.7 points per game
- Oklahoma State Cowboys - 36.7 points per game
The gap between No. 1 and No. 2 on this list isn't drastic by any means, but the gap between No. 1 and No. 16 is astonishing. Heck, the fact that Baylor is 4-2 on the season and still alive in the Big 12 title race right now while allowing just under 30 points per game is truly something else.
And to be completely fair, the same goes for Arizona State, who is allowing 24.7 points per game. That's more than double what the Texas Tech defense is giving up this season.
It's fully worth acknowledging how Arizona State's defense is closer to what Oklahoma State is putting together at the bottom of the conference than what Texas Tech is displaying at the top of the Big 12.