Here's what matters — Texas clinches a Big 12 Championship berth and keeps its College Football Playoff aspirations alive with a win Friday night against Texas Tech.

Steve Sarkisian notched 10 wins in a season for the first time in his head coaching career last weekend. Now, this weekend's ontest has the highest stakes he's faced. Aside from wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, who caught a touchdown in both of Georgia's CFP games last year, it's the most significant game anyone on the Longhorns' roster has played. 

What's irrelevant is Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark's promo speech in front of Texas Tech donors at the Red Raider kickoff club luncheon in August that caught the ire of Texas fans.

"Coach, I'm not going to put any pressure on you," Yormark said. "But I'm going to be in Austin on Thanksgiving. And you better take care of business like you did right here in Lubbock last year."

Typically, a conference commissioner shouldn't jokingly root for one program. But usually, a conference commissioner isn't overseeing a game where one program will be in his conference for the foreseeable future, and the other program blindsided the league by bolting to the SEC. Treating a joke that was simply playing to a crowd of donors as a deep-state conspiracy to lock Texas out of the Big 12 Championship Game is nothing short of paranoia.

Yormark is no Commodus from "Gladiator," giving a thumbs down from the press box to the officials once Texas takes the lead. The Big 12 gets $6 million this year for any team that makes a CFP semifinal game, and Texas is its only chance to rake in the cash. Longhorn fans point to defensive tackles T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy not having a holding called on them all season or going six games without having a pass interference call in their favor as evidence that Yormark is kneecapping them. If that's really the case, he's doing a horrible job. Just ask Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen, whose team lost 31-24 after it appeared they gained a first down in the red zone, only for the officials to deem running back Stacy Sneed short without review. Or check in with TCU head coach Sonny Dykes, who denounced the officiating as terrible and embarrassingly bad after a three-point loss to Texas.

What's less significant than a radar blip is Joey McGuire's locker room speech to his team after beating Texas last year.

"I'm telling y'all right now, the country's going to find out - Everything runs through Lubbock," McGuire declared, charged up by the cheers of his football team.

That clip has circulated on social media after every ensuing loss Texas Tech's taken, mainly by Texas fans who've taken it as a personal affront. How dare he have the gall! Maybe it's not that deep. Perhaps it's just a way for Texas fans to shed their haunting video clip, the 'Texas is back!' mantra declared after the 2018 Sugar Bowl, and shove the burden onto the Red Raiders.

But it shouldn't be an added source of motivation. Because if Texas needs to co-opt the 'Us against the Big 12' warcry to get juiced up for this Friday, they've already lost.

"We need to be enamored with us." Sarkisian said Monday.

Texas has been the underdog before. Half the roster toiled through the 5–7 campaign two years ago. If they play a clean football game, they should be in the Big 12 Championship for the first time since 2018. Where the game can get dicey is if they let manufactured billboard material such as the commissioner's comments swing emotions. Texas Tech wins the emotional match every time, where they have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Few expect them to win. Even with a loss, they're already going to a bowl game, but they can spoil Texas' final Big 12 season.

If Texas is indeed 'enamored with us,' Texas Tech won't be able to.