Texas Tech Caps Breakthrough Season with Top-10 Finish in Final Coaches Poll
For the first time in program history, the Texas Tech Red Raiders are sitting comfortably inside the top 10 of the final Coaches Poll. After racking up 12 wins and claiming their first-ever Big 12 championship, the Red Raiders are officially on the national radar-and not just as a feel-good story, but as a legitimate player in the college football landscape.
It’s a milestone moment for a program that’s spent years trying to climb out of the middle of the pack. And while the season didn’t end with the exclamation point fans might’ve hoped for, there’s no denying the leap Texas Tech made in 2025.
Let’s start with what this top-10 finish really means. Texas Tech is now being mentioned in the same breath as college football’s blue bloods.
The final Coaches Poll featured the Red Raiders nestled among the likes of Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M. That’s not just good company-that’s the company you keep when you’re building something serious.
Here’s how the top of the final rankings shook out:
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Miami Hurricanes
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Oregon Ducks
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Oklahoma Sooners
That’s a top 10 that includes national championship contenders and perennial powerhouses. And right there, holding their own, is Joey McGuire’s Texas Tech squad.
This season was a statement. It was the kind of year that changes the conversation around a program.
From the opening kickoff to the Big 12 title celebration, the Red Raiders showed they could win tough games, handle pressure, and stay consistent over the course of a grueling schedule. That’s not easy to do in a conference like the Big 12, where depth and parity make every week a battle.
And while the season’s final chapter didn’t go exactly to script, the foundation has clearly been laid. McGuire and his staff have taken a team that was once an afterthought in the national picture and turned it into a top-10 program. That’s no small feat.
But here’s the thing: getting to the top 10 is one thing. Staying there is another.
Texas Tech now faces the challenge of proving this wasn’t a one-off. The next step is about sustainability-recruiting at a high level, developing talent, and continuing to evolve schematically. If the Red Raiders want to be in the national title conversation every year, they’ll need to build on what they started in 2025.
There’s still work to be done. The way the season ended showed that.
But the progress is undeniable. From a historical standpoint, this might be the most important season in Texas Tech football history.
It’s not just the wins or the ranking-it’s the belief that this program can now stand toe-to-toe with the best in the country.
And if they keep trending upward, the Red Raiders might not just be top-10 good. They could be something even more dangerous: a team that expects to be there every single year.