Texas Tech is sitting in a spot it’s never been before - and head coach Joey McGuire is just fine with that. While the idea of hosting a College Football Playoff game in front of a raucous crowd at Jones AT&T Stadium might be tempting, McGuire made it clear: he’ll take the bye.
And now, for the first time in program history, that’s exactly where the Red Raiders find themselves.
In the latest College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday, Texas Tech climbed to No. 4 - up one spot from last week - thanks in part to a misstep by an old rival. That move puts the Red Raiders in prime position for a first-round bye in the new 12-team playoff format, which awards automatic quarterfinal spots to the top four teams in the final rankings.
The final CFP rankings drop Sunday, Dec. 7, after conference championship weekend wraps up. If Tech holds onto that No. 4 seed, they’ll bypass the opening round and face the winner of a first-round matchup in the quarterfinals - potentially against Oregon or the lowest-ranked of the five conference champions with guaranteed bids.
Here’s how the top of the rankings currently shake out: Ohio State and Indiana hold steady at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, ahead of their Big Ten title clash. Georgia moves into the No. 3 spot, followed by Texas Tech at No. 4 and Oregon at No.
- The big drop came from Texas A&M, which slid from No. 3 to No. 7 after falling 27-17 to in-state rival Texas in their regular-season finale.
Ole Miss now sits at No. 6, just outside the top four.
Oklahoma, Alabama, and Notre Dame round out the top 10, while BYU - Texas Tech’s opponent in the Big 12 Championship - checks in at No. 11.
That Big 12 title game, set for Saturday, Dec. 6 at 11 a.m. CT in Arlington’s AT&T Stadium, is shaping up to be a high-stakes rematch.
Both Texas Tech and BYU enter the contest at 11-1 overall and 8-1 in conference play. The Red Raiders handed BYU its only loss of the season back on Nov. 8 - a dominant 29-7 win in Lubbock.
Tech’s lone blemish came a few weeks earlier, a 26-22 road loss to Arizona State on Oct. 18.
If the Red Raiders can take care of business again this weekend, they’ll likely lock in that top-four finish and the all-important bye. And for McGuire, that extra week of rest and prep could be the difference-maker in a grueling postseason run.
The full top 25 reveals just how deep the field is this year. Behind the top 10, you’ve got programs like BYU (11), Miami (Fla.), Texas, Vanderbilt, and Utah rounding out the 11-15 range.
Southern California, Virginia, Arizona, Michigan, and Tulane fill out the 16-20 spots. The final five are Houston, Georgia Tech, Iowa, North Texas, and James Madison.
Here’s what the 2025 College Football Playoff schedule looks like:
First Round - Friday, Dec. 19 and Saturday, Dec. 20: Hosted at the higher-seeded team’s home stadium.
Quarterfinals -
- **Dec.
31**: Cotton Bowl (Arlington), 6:30 p.m.
- **Jan.
1**: Orange Bowl (Miami), 11 a.m. ; Rose Bowl (Pasadena), 3 p.m.
; Sugar Bowl (New Orleans), 7 p.m.
For Texas Tech, the path is clear: win Saturday, stay in the top four, and you’re just two wins away from playing for a national title. It's uncharted territory for the Red Raiders - but they’re right where they want to be.