(AP) — BYU and Texas Tech are leading the Big 12’s charge for multiple berths in the College Football Playoff for the first time.

A league that hasn’t won a national championship in two decades and scraps for a piece of the spotlight that shines brighter on the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference is basking in the possibility.

“I really hope that the Big 12 gets the respect that I think this conference deserves,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said.

There’s other business to take care of first.

No. 8 BYU and No. 9 Texas Tech play Saturday in Lubbock, Texas. It’s the first matchup of AP top 10 teams from the league since 2021. ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be there, too.

“Lubbock’s going to be jumping, for sure,” Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton said.

It might not be the only meeting this season between the teams that have played just twice previously. They could reunite in the Dec. 6 conference championship game, where the winner gets an automatic berth in the 12-team CFP. If the league doesn’t cannibalize itself, a second team could get in the playoff.

BYU was seventh, Texas Tech eighth and Utah 13th in the first CFP rankings released Tuesday night.

With a month of games still left, BYU (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) is alone in first place, just ahead of Texas Tech (8-1) and No. 25 Cincinnati (7-2), both at 5-1 in the league. No. 17 Utah (7-2) and others with two league losses hope to defy longer odds and wedge their way into the title game.