A clean Texas Tech resume can beat a 9-3 SEC team.
Context
Dan's Texas Tech case depends on the Red Raiders being dominant and perhaps losing only a rematch against Houston in the Big 12 Championship Game. The nonconference schedule may not be strong, but a 12-1 profile could still look cleaner than a 9-3 SEC profile after the league's teams spend the season beating each other up across nine conference games.
This is a resume comparison, not a claim that Texas Tech is more talented than every SEC team. It is the committee question created when conference depth generates losses for otherwise strong teams.