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NCAAF Commissioner Brett Yormark defended moving some Big 12 football games to Friday nights after criticism from Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell. Sophia Scheller / Imagn Images Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell “does not run the Big 12” after Campbell complained about scheduling on social media and in a recent interview with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Campbell, chairman of the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents, took issue with the Red Raiders’ home game against in-state opponent Houston possibly being moved to Friday, Sept. 18. Last year, Texas Tech was one of three Big 12 teams that didn’t play a game on Friday night. Advertisement “Friday Night Lights are sacred in the Great State of Texas! ” Campbell said in a post on X, calling the move “absurd. ” Campbell said in the post he knows Yormark isn’t a native Texan but that “he’s been here long enough to know better! “Come on, man! ” Campbell wrote. Friday Night Lights are sacred in the Great State of Texas! It is absolutely absurd that the @Big12Conference and @FOXSports would consider scheduling @Texas Tech FB and @UHCougar FB on a Friday night (October 18th)! ! I know that @brettyormark is not a native Texan, but he’s been… — Cody Campbell (@Cody C64) March 30, 2026 The game is still publicly listed for Sept. 19, but Campbell told the Avalanche-Journal in an interview earlier this week he heard the game could be moved up from the football staff and that the decision was “done. ” “(TV partners) have the draft or whatever, and the conference doesn’t want to really acknowledge it, but they do have an ability to influence those decisions. They just chose not to because they were chasing ratings — which I do understand on one hand, but on the other hand, high school football is important in the state of Texas, ” Campbell told the paper. “We’ve got a road game the week before. It’s not an ideal situation for us, and … I think our conference should protect us more than they did. ” In a statement, Yormark said Friday night Big 12 games “outperformed the conference’s average rating by 64 percent. ” “Our board and our ADs approved playing 12 games a year off of Saturdays in an effort to raise the profile, narrative and viewership of Big 12 football. Texas Tech hosting a prime-time game on Friday night delivers that, ” Yormark said. “All of our schools are treated equally during the TV scheduling process and this game fits within our scheduling parameters. I am thankful that our TV partners provide us with these opportunities. ” Advertisement Campbell said Yormark could have “gone to bat” for Texas Tech and pushed back on moving the game to Friday but declined to do so because he wanted better TV ratings. Campbell also posted about the paper’s story quoting Yormark’s response to Campbell’s criticism. “Apparently Brett didn’t get the memo: EVERYTHING RUNS THROUGH LUBBOCK! !” he posted. “Maybe we should bring the tortillas back? ?” Apparently Brett didn’t get the memo: EVERYTHING RUNS THROUGH LUBBOCK! ! Maybe we should bring the tortillas back? ?https: //t. co/G4Jxg Abn Mt — Cody Campbell (@Cody C64) April 2, 2026 Last season, Texas Tech won its first Big 12 title and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time, where it lost 23-0 to Oregon in the Orange Bowl. During the season, the Big 12 amended its policy on foreign objects on the field, taking aim at Texas Tech’s tradition of throwing tortillas during kickoffs. Campbell, a former Texas Tech football player, co-founded an NIL collective that helps pay Red Raiders athletes. He’s become the program’s largest booster and a prominent voice looking to guide the future of college athletics. Last year, he paid for television ads criticizing conference commissioners, lobbying to end the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 and pool conference media rights. He’s also been lobbying against the SCORE Act, which is supported by the NCAA and was a topic last month at President Donald Trump’s college sports roundtable, which Campbell attended. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle David Ubben is a senior writer for The Athletic covering college football. Prior to joining The Athletic, he covered college sports for ESPN, Fox Sports Southwest, The Oklahoman, Sports on Earth and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, as well as contributing to a number of other publications. Follow David on Twitter @davidubben