• Big 12 Championship: Texas Tech (11-1) vs. BYU (11-1), noon, Saturday; TV: ABC

Saturday’s Big 12 Championship game has plenty of jeopardy when it comes to the College Football Playoff. Win, and you’re in. Lose, and your fate is in the committee’s hands.

At No. 11 in latest CFP rankings, BYU might have a case for the playoff with a closer loss, but there might be too much ground for the Cougars to overcome. For the Big 12, the dream scenario is to send two teams to the playoff with a narrow BYU win that leaves the Red Raiders (No. 4 in CFP) as an at-large pick.

These teams met early in November, and Texas Tech dominated BYU, winning 29-7 in Lubbock.

Here’s what you need to know for Saturday’s game and who we think will win:

Meet Jacob Rodriguez: A Heisman hopeful, and the heart of Texas Tech’s big business roster

CFP breakdown: How playoff will be impacted by every conference title game scenario

Big 12 Championship game: Texas Tech vs BYU

• Records: Texas Tech (11-1), BYU (11-1)
• Time/TV: Saturday, noon., ABC,
• Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Big 12 Championship game predictions

• Texas Tech 35, BYU 17: The first game in early November should’ve been much worse for BYU, Texas Tech’s struggles in the red zone preventing an uglier rout. But there’s much more on the line now, and BYU has extra juice from coach Kalani Sitake turning down Penn State. It took Texas Tech about two quarters in November to adjust to BYU’s physical lines of scrimmage, and if the Cougars can protect the ball, they’ll get this game to the second half. Texas Tech QB Behren Morton wasn’t completely healthy the last time the teams played, and has been nearly flawless since. ― Matt Hayes
• Texas Tech 31, BYU 10: Quarterback Behren Morton wasn’t quite himself against the Cougars the first time around this season, as he was returning from a multi-week injury. Still, Texas Tech’s suffocating defense was too much for BYU and true freshman Bear Bachmeier to handle in the 29-7 loss. The Red Raiders are the most capable Big 12 team to cause some chaos in the College Football Playoff, and standout defenders Jacob Rodriguez and David Bailey lead the way in Texas Tech’s first-ever Big 12 title. ― Austin Curtright
• Texas Tech 30, BYU 7: Look for Tech to take care of BYU by multiple touchdowns and enter the playoff ready to advance to the semifinals and even beyond. BYU is a physical, well-coached team that typically won’t make the crucial mistakes that can mean the difference against elite competition. The Red Raiders are simply more talented, with difference-making talent at quarterback, the defensive line and the entire front seven. — Paul Myerberg

Kansas State announced Thursday it has officially hired Collin Klein, the school’s legendary former quarterback, as its next head coach.

Klein, a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2012 and former K-State assistant, has served as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator for the last two seasons. He will continue in that role during the Aggies’ upcoming appearance in the College Football Playoff, the school said.

Klein agreed to a five-year contract with an average base salary of $4.3 million. He succeeds Chris Klieman, who announced his retirement Wednesday after seven seasons leading the Wildcats. Upon Klieman’s departure, The Athletic confirmed Wednesday that Klein was a likely successor given his ties to the school.

“We are excited to welcome one of our all-time greats back home to Manhattan,” Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor said in a statement. “Collin is a tremendous leader who cares deeply about his players. The grit, toughness and aggression he displayed as a player still fuels him today as a coach, and he is determined to carry on the tremendous success this program has achieved.”

As a player under Kansas State legend Bill Snyder, Klein led Kansas State to a 21-5 record in two seasons as the starter in 2011 and 2012. That included an appearance at No. 1 in the Associated Press poll, a Big 12 championship and a berth in the Fiesta Bowl. In 2012, he finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o.

He joined Snyder’s staff in 2014 and spent nine of the next 10 seasons serving in various capacities on the staff under Snyder and later under Klieman. Klein was K-State’s quarterbacks coach from 2017 until 2021, and then assumed offensive coordinator duties in 2022 and 2023. Klein was part of K-State’s staff when the Wildcats won the 2022 Big 12 championship.

Klein moved to College Station in 2024 to join Mike Elko’s first Texas A&M staff as offensive coordinator. This season, the 11-1 Aggies rank in the top 32 nationally in scoring offense, total offense, rushing, passing, first downs and fourth-down conversion percentage. They’ve allowed the fewest tackles for loss per game and the 11th-fewest sacks per game.

“My family and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to come home,” Klein said. “Thank you to President (Richard) Linton and Gene Taylor for believing in us to lead the Cats into a new era. The position of head coach at Kansas State has a long legacy of service, hard work, determination and competitive greatness that I am honored to carry forward.”

Kansas State has not yet decided whether it will participate in a bowl. The Wildcats (6-6) are eligible, but Taylor said recently he would leave it up to the players. There have been conversations but no formal vote on whether to play in a bowl if invited, a team source told The Athletic. If K-State plays in a bowl game, Klieman would serve as the coach for it. If Kansas State declines a bowl game, the spot would fall to teams with 5-7 records, in order of their Academic Progress Report (APR) score. That order starts with Rice, Auburn, UCF, Mississippi State and Florida State, according to an NCAA source.

Klein, a member of K-State football’s ring of honor, will be introduced as the Wildcats’ new coach Friday afternoon. The No. 7 Aggies are in position to host a first-round game in the Playoff, which would fall on either Dec. 19 or Dec. 20, but their final ranking and CFP destination won’t be finalized until Playoff selection day Sunday.

Texas is considering a groundbreaking proposal to provide every newborn with $1,000 invested in the stock market.

Why It Matters

Lieutenant Governor of Texas Dan Patrick revealed plans for this initiative as a way to mirror a new federal program signed into law under President Donald Trump, known as “Trump Accounts.”

If enacted, Texas’s “New Little Texan Savings Fund” would make it the first state to add such an automatic state-level investment to the national plan, potentially doubling the funds available to Texas children and sparking debate about the balance between government support and fiscal conservatism. 

The move could signal a trend toward broader wealth-building measures for American children, especially at a time when access to stock market investments remains uneven across income groups.

What To Know

On Wednesday, Patrick announced his plan to introduce legislation during the 2027 session to create investment accounts for every baby born in Texas. 

Each account would receive a $1,000 deposit of public funds invested in the S&P 500. 

Patrick suggested this new state-level program would be modeled after the federal “Trump Accounts” provision, created as part of Trump’s major tax and spending legislation earlier in 2025. 

The cost for Texas would be about $400 million per year, less than 1 percent of the state’s current two-year budget, Patrick said. 

Patrick also proposed a constitutional amendment to make the program permanent, which would require support from two-thirds of the Texas Legislature and approval by Texas voters. 

Trump’s federal program would provides $1,000 to every child born from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2028, whose parents claim the benefit. It requires a U.S. Social Security number and restricts withdrawals until age 18, except for specific uses such as education, home down payments, or starting a business.

In addition, Austin billionaires Michael and Susan Dell have pledged $6.25 billion to supplement the Trump accounts, offering an extra $250 to eligible children under age 11 who meet certain family income criteria and live in certain ZIP codes.

The Dell contribution primarily targets children who do not qualify for the federal $1,000 newborn benefit (those born before January 1, 2025).

What People Are Saying

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said: “I love President Trump’s idea to invest $1,000 for every American newborn child, that cannot be spent until age 18 and must be used for education or other qualifying expenses. 

“If I see a great idea from the President that helps Texans, my first question is always, ‘why not do it in Texas, too?’ A baby is born about every 90 seconds in Texas. That’s about 1,000 per day, or just under 400,000 per year for the last several years. One of my top priorities in the 2027 legislative session will be to pass the New Little Texan Savings Fund to give newborn Texans an additional $1,000 each, invested in the S&P 500 as aligned with the federal program

“Adding that to the President’s program, newborn Texans will receive a total of $2,000, plus any additional funds contributed by their family as allowed under the Trump plan.”

Republican Senator Ted Cruz, an early proponent of the federal plan, said: “I’m thrilled to see the Lone Star State and my good friend Dan Patrick taking this even further for Texas kids. Bravo!”

Texas Policy Research, a group emphasizing ‘liberty-based’ policies, said: “We are opposed to this idea before the bill is even filed. Creating state-run wealth accounts for every newborn violates key liberty principles: It expands government rather than limiting it, replaces personal responsibility with state dependency and undermines free enterprise by turning the state into an investor. Texans deserve lower taxes, not new programs that grow government indefinitely.”

What Happens Next

If both the Texas and federal programs move forward, every eligible newborn in Texas could have $2,000 seeded in stock market investments at birth. 

Nationally, the federal Trump Accounts and the Dells’ private gift are scheduled to roll out on July 4, 2026. Parents will be able to open the accounts once the IRS finalizes the enrollment form and the online system goes live.

The outcome in Texas may serve as a model for other states considering similar measures and could influence future discussions on government-backed child wealth-building initiatives.