The Big 12 is kicking off Week 1, and with it comes the long climb toward Arlington, Texas, in December, where the conference title game will decide who reaches the College Football Playoff. Every team in the league has something to chase. A few, though, are carrying expectations so heavy that even a good season might not be enough.
Texas Tech sits near the top of that conversation for one simple reason: the bar is already set extremely high. Plenty of outsiders are looking at the Red Raiders and seeing an 11-1 run and a 12-1 finish after the league title game.
Inside the program, the goal is even bigger - win the Big 12 and get back to the CFP. When that’s the standard, one badly timed loss can change everything.
With a target on its back, Texas Tech doesn’t need a collapse to come up short.
BYU is in a similar spot. The Cougars are being treated like a real Big 12 championship and CFP threat, and the pieces are there to justify it.
LJ Martin is the best returning running back in the conference, Bear Bachmeier is expected to take a step forward at quarterback, and the roster has enough core talent to make a push. But the ceiling is so high that anything less than a title chase will feel like a disappointment.
BYU is targeting a title. Anything less will be disappointing.
Houston also has the kind of profile that can go either way. This is the best the Cougars have been positioned to win a Big 12 championship, and maybe the best shot they’ve had in a long time to make some national noise.
The quarterback is experienced, and the defense is one of the best in the conference. Still, the schedule is not forgiving.
If Houston drops two or three league games, it could end up well short of the expectation that it will contend for a berth in the Big 12 Championship game.
TCU belongs in this group too, even after winning nine games last year. That part matters, because it’s easy to forget how solid that season was.
The Horned Frogs also changed quarterbacks after Josh Hoover’s transfer to Indiana, but there’s still enough talent on hand to matter in the league race. The concern is the familiar one: TCU tends to shine when the spotlight isn’t brightest.
This year, people expect more. The Ireland game is another worry, especially now that they’ve lost it.
A loss there set back Kansas State’s season a year ago, in my opinion.
Utah rounds out the list, and the concern here is less about raw talent than about the shape of the season ahead. Kyle Whittingham’s final year was a strong one, even if he didn’t know it at the time, and the Utes won 10 games.
But Morgan Scalley has never been a head coach, and the roster is light on returning starters - only five in all. On offense, the only returning starters are Devon Dampier and Wayshawn Parker.
That kind of turnover makes consistency hard to find, and it’s especially tough for a first-time head coach. There are a lot of trap games here, and if Scalley hits the usual growing pains early, Utah could wind up below the level its 2026 expectations demand.
In Other News...
Joey McGuire Just Pushed A Texas Tech Frustration Even Further
Texas Techs fan base has long prided itself on showing up, and Joey McGuire made sure to spotlight that loyalty during a recent press conference. The Red Raiders coach pointed to the strong support in West Texas, even with weather in the mix, while contrasting it with the sparse turnout for USCs season opener and the atmosphere around Lincoln Rileys program.
The remarks also land against a backdrop of lingering irritation in Lubbock, where reports say USC backed out of a proposed football series with Texas Tech in 2027 and 2028. McGuire did not shy away from bringing USC into the conversation, and for Red Raiders fans already annoyed by the idea of the matchup falling through, the comments only added another layer to the frustration. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Techs 2026 Roster Fight Just Reached A Crucial Stage
The eligibility fight around Texas Tech basketball keeps getting louder, and Donovan Atwells case has now moved into the courtroom. A Lubbock judge granted Atwell a temporary restraining order as part of his lawsuit seeking a fifth year of NCAA eligibility, adding another layer to a situation that has already become a real roster issue for the Red Raiders heading toward next season.
Atwells hearing is set for Sept. 11, 2026, and he is not the only one in the mix. Darrion Williams and Jamichael Stillwell have also filed lawsuits and received temporary restraining orders tied to their eligibility for the 2026-27 season, giving Texas Tech a trio of active legal battles that could shape how its roster takes form. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Finally Gets Its Chance To Answer A Loud Offseason
Joey McGuire spent much of the offseason answering for Texas Tech rather than simply talking about Texas Tech, with critics taking aim at the programs schedule and the broader perception of where the Red Raiders stand in the Big 12. McGuire also voiced support for Brendan Sorsby during a gambling scandal, a reminder that this was hardly a quiet summer in Lubbock. Even so, the Red Raiders enter the opener against Abilene Christian with a coach who sounds confident in both his teams readiness and the edge it has built through recent recruiting success.
For a program trying to turn momentum into proof, the first chance comes quickly, and the noise around Texas Tech has only made the runway to kickoff feel more charged. The Red Raiders are being framed as a legitimate threat in the conference, but reputation is one thing and showing it on the field is another. With the season about to begin, the question is whether the offseason conversation has sharpened this team or simply raised the stakes for what it has to deliver next. [Read more 🡒]