Thanks to "Big Noon Kickoff" Texas Tech can showcase "The Brand" to America

Since the day he was named Texas Tech football head coach, Joey McGuire has preached about the importance of developing and representing "The Brand". Now, the entire country will be focused on Lubbock this weekend giving McGuire and his program an opportunity to showcase to the nation exactly what Texas Tech football is all about.

“You are going to hear this out of my mouth every single day, and the guys will understand it," McGuire said at his introductory press conference in November of 2021, "we are going to have a brand – We are going to be the toughest, hardest working, most competitive team in the country. That is our brand. Tough teams are hard to beat.

"I don’t know where we are right now, but I know where we’re going to be. We are going to be the toughest, hardest-working, most competitive team in the country. I believe that if you put a genuine relationship together, a love for each other, and that brand, something special will happen. I believe in West Texas tough, but I also believe that no matter where you’re at in Texas, if we create that brand, we will be a tough team to beat."

Since that day, McGuire has not strayed from that mantra. Now, nearing the end of his third season at the helm in Lubbock, he's going to get his first shot to show the nation exactly what "The Brad" is all about.

This weekend will be a showcase opportunity for Texas Tech football. Sure, everyone knows that FOX's Big Noon Kickoff pregame show is in town mainly because the opponent will be Colorado and their celebrity head coach Deion Sanders. However, Tech also has a role to play this weekend and it shouldn't be that of simply acting as the Washington Generals to the Buffaloes' Harlem Globetrotters act as FOX and others around the nation would prefer.

There is no question that Colorado brings the star power to this game. Their coach is the most well-known in America and he prefers it that way.

Meanwhile, their QB Shedeur Sanders is a likely first-round pick who is as brash and confident as his head coach/father is. Meanwhile, Colorado's star defensive back/wide receiver, Travis Hunter, is one of the leading candidates to win the Heisman Trophy.

However, football isn't always about style and flash. Rather, it is a game built on grit, physicality, and determination. In other words, the "toughest, hardest-working, most competitive team" typically wins.

Texas Tech embodied that last week when it upset No. 11 Iowa State on the road to give the Cyclones their first loss of the season. Now, because of that win, the eyes of the nation will be on Lubbock for the first time in ages.

A national traveling pre-game show hasn't come to town since ESPN's College GameDay set up shop on campus in 2008 prior to the game between No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 1 Texas. Since then, Tech football has faded into obscurity thanks to a decade and a half of poor football from this program.

That's why the Red Raiders have become an afterthought not only around the nation but also in their own conference. That can all change this weekend.

By beating Colorado, the Red Raiders can prove that their win over Iowa State was no fluke while staying in the Big 12 title race. With people around the nation tuned in to see what "Coach Prime" has up its sleeve, Tech can show that what is being built on the South Plains is just as relevant and important as what Deion Sanders has concocted at the base of the Rocky Mountains.

Opportunities such as this don't come along too often for a program like Texas Tech. To have a national network bring its circus to town and to have one of the most high-profile figures in the sports world drawing viewers all over the nation is something McGuire's program will cherish. And hopefully, it is one that Tech will take full advantage of.