ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

It's hard to believe the glare of the national television spotlight that will be fixed to Lubbock this weekend.

"The Hub City" has never received this much national attention -- even back in the days when Buddy Holly was streaking across the firmament during his short-lived, star-crossed career as a rock icon.

Today, it's Mike Leach and Graham Harrell, Colt McCoy and Mack Brown who are commanding most of the attention. It's continuing a season-long tradition that has enabled Texas to become even more of a national darling than before in terms of television appeal, according to the Austin American-Statesman's Suzanne Halliburton.  

Texas Tech fans are aiming to beat the record crowd to attend "College GameDay" before Saturday's game against Texas. The previous record crowd of 17,000, was set earlier at Nebraska, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported.

Lack of available flights are sending some fans and reporters flying into Amarillo or Midland -- both about a two-hour drive away -- to arrive for the game. The Avalanche-Journal reported that tickets on eBay are going for as much as $1,000 apiece.

Restaurants are stocking up with extra cold beverages and trimming beef to get ready for the crowds expected to flock before and after the game. It could be the biggest single weekend of tourism-related spending in Lubbock history.

And it should be quite a sight to experience. We can only hope the game lives up to its hype.

Until then, here are some stories from across the Big 12 for your perusal this lunchtime.

• Texas quarterback Colt McCoy grew up in nearby Tuscola, played his last high school game in Lubbock and still finds many of his high school friends now are attending Texas Tech. McCoy says he can't wait to get back to his home area to play Saturday night, according to Adam Zuvanich of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
• Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle writes about the North Division's wide-open title race.
• Nebraska I-back Marlon Lucky finally is living up to the preseason promise that had him considered among the Big 12's best backs, Dirk Chatelain of the Omaha World-Herald writes.
• Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel and Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell are the Big 12's two finalists for the Draddy Award. Both are among 15 National Football Foundation 2008 Scholar-Athlete Award winners, which comes with an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship.
• Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman has come full-circle by returning back to college coaching, according to the Denver Post's Tom Kensler.
• Guerin Emig of The Tulsa World reports that Oklahoma wide receiver Quentin Chaney is one of the best utility players produced during the Bob Stoops coaching era.