Texas Tech coach Mike Leach has a law degree, so he can probably make a pretty persuasive argument.

But the case he made during Monday’s Big 12 football coaches call wouldn’t convince any jury in the country.

The No. 6 Red Raiders host No. 1 Texas Saturday night in Lubbock. When asked how he’d rank the importance of the game in his nine-year Tech tenure, he was noncommittal.

“I don’t rank them,” Leach said. “They’re all exciting to prepare for.”

Coaches love to downplay games, but there’s no way to undersell this one.

This is arguably the biggest game in Texas Tech history. Both teams are 8-0 and fighting to get into the national championship game. It will feature two of the best quarterbacks in college football in Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell and Texas’ Colt McCoy.

ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be on the South Plains for the occasion, and the eyes of the country will be trained on Jones AT&T Stadium. The only way it could get any bigger is if Buddy Holly came back and played at halftime.

Though they’ve been ranked among the top teams in the country all season, the Red Raiders had been underwhelming in several games. They squeaked out a 37-31 overtime home win over Nebraska, and overcame a lackluster first half to pull off a 43-25 win over Texas A&M.

Tech answers questions at Kansas

Many fans wondered if the Red Raiders were overranked coming into last weekend’s road game against then-No. 19 Kansas. After Harrell passed for 386 yards and five touchdowns in the Red Raiders’ 63-21 rout, no one questioned their ranking anymore.

“Texas Tech is a very explosive football team that outplayed us in every area of the game,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. “Their offense gets so much attention that their defense gets overlooked a little. Their defensive line is quick and gets off the ball well. They play smart in the secondary, and play physical football.”

Of course, Harrell is the straw that stirs the drink. For the second straight year, Harrell leads the nation in passing yards with 3,147 after accumulating 5,705 last season. He ranks sixth in the country in passing efficiency by completing 71.1 percent for 28 touchdowns with just five interceptions in eight games.

Harrell tops Tech QB list

Texas coach Mack Brown has seen talented Tech quarterbacks like Kliff Kingsbury and B.J. Symons, but he thinks Harrell tops the list.

“We’ve played a lot of really good quarterbacks at Texas Tech, and I don’t think any of them have done as well as Graham,” Brown said. “He’s very consistent and smart and knows Tech’s system. He’s a lot like Colt because he’s also a coach’s son.”

McCoy ranks second in the country in passing efficiency with 2,285 yards and 21 touchdowns while hitting an amazing 81.8 percent. Many people see McCoy as the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy, and is unquestionably the leader of the Longhorns.

“Colt’s a good player who has gotten better,” Leach said. “He’s really developed and has clearly spent some time in the weight room. He runs better than he did in the past.”

Brown doesn’t expect his team to be intimidated by Tech’s home crowd after already making trips to El Paso and Boulder this year.

“We’re fortunate that we’ve played those two night road games,” Brown said. “I think that even our young players will be accustomed to the atmosphere. We signal plays to the offense from the sideline and we don’t huddle. So crowd noise doesn’t play as big of a factor as it has in the past.”

If the Longhorns win, they’ll sweep a grueling stretch of games against ranked teams that includes Oklahoma, Missouri and Oklahoma State. If the Red Raiders win, they’ve still got No. 9 Oklahoma State and No. 4 Oklahoma coming up in the next two games.

Leach has only beaten Brown once in eight games, pulling off a 42-38 win over the No. 3 Longhorns in 2002 to put an end to any national championship hopes.

If Leach does it again, they might erect his statue right next to Buddy Holly’s.

jwerner@wacotrib.com

757-5716

JOHN WERNER’S BIG 12 FOOTBALL RANKINGS

Team Record Last

1. Texas (8-0) 1

Tech next victim?

2. Oklahoma (7-1) 2

Murray big game

3. Texas Tech (8-0) 4

Showdown on Plains

4. Okla. St. (7-1) 3

Edged by Horns

5. Missouri (6-2) 5

58-0 over Buffs

6. Kansas (5-3) 6

No D vs. Tech

7. Nebraska (5-3) 7

Sooners coming up

8. Kansas St. (4-4) 9

Bombed by Sooners

9. Colorado (4-4) 8

Embarrassed by MU

10. Baylor (3-5) 10

Tigers on docket

11. Texas A&M (3-5) 12

Out of cellar

12. Iowa State (2-6) 11

Defensive disaster