Texas Tech is the pick to sit atop the Big 12 again in 2026, and this time the Red Raiders are projected to get there without much room for debate. In a conference that looks loaded with possibilities but short on a true front-runner, Texas Tech comes out of the schedule gauntlet unbeaten and heads into the title game as the league’s standard-bearer.
The Big 12 feels wide open behind it. Oklahoma State is forecast to make the strongest push, finishing second in the league and setting up a championship-game rematch.
Colorado lands right behind the Cowboys in the predicted standings, while BYU and Utah are also expected to stay in the hunt and keep the race messy deep into the season. Baylor, Cincinnati, TCU and Houston all show up in the middle of the pack, the kind of teams that could swing the standings one way or another depending on how the schedule breaks.
Kansas State, one of the teams mentioned early as part of the playoff conversation, is projected to land at 4-5 in conference play and finish 6-6 overall. Arizona and West Virginia are both slotted at 3-6 in the league, while UCF is predicted to go 5-7 overall. Arizona State is down at 2-7 in conference play, and Kansas and Iowa State are both forecast to go winless in the Big 12 at 0-9.
At the top, the numbers are clean. Texas Tech is projected at 9-0 in conference play and 12-0 overall.
Oklahoma State checks in at 8-1 and 10-2, with Colorado just behind at 7-2 and 10-2. BYU and Utah are both projected to finish 9-3 overall, giving the league several teams with legitimate paths to stay relevant through the fall.
The championship game prediction keeps that story going. Texas Tech is picked to beat Oklahoma State 34-28 and repeat as Big 12 champion. The projection also notes that it could be the last Big 12 Conference Title Game, with the question hanging over the league as the College Football Playoff looks to expand again.
In Other News...
Former BC Quarterback Suddenly Has One More Twist In His Career
Thomas Castellanos has suddenly been handed a path to one more college football season, a development that could matter in Lubbock as Texas Tech continues shaping its quarterback room. A judge granted an injunction allowing him to enter the transfer portal and play a fifth season, a ruling tied to a lawsuit challenging NCAA eligibility rules that has opened the door for athletes from the high school class of 2022 to return for another year.
For Texas Tech, the timing makes Castellanos a name worth tracking as the offseason unfolds. He is expected to transfer to the Red Raiders, but the larger picture is still in motion because the NCAA has appealed the decision, leaving the eligibility question unresolved even as the portal window offers a fresh possibility. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Techs Mahomes Uniform Push Is Raising A Bigger Identity Debate
Texas Techs recurring uniform partnership with Patrick Mahomes and Adidas has become more than a one-off promotional idea. Over the past three seasons, the school has used the collaboration to roll out alternate football jerseys, tying one of its biggest athletic alumni to a look that now feels like part of the Red Raiders broader brand. The 2024 edition, dubbed the Lets Ride jersey, is a solid-black design with Mahomes signature wordmark on the helmet, and it is set to make its debut on Sept. 18 at home against Houston.
The release also underscores a bigger question about where the line sits between tradition and modern marketing in college football. For Texas Tech, the Mahomes connection has been a reliable way to generate buzz and keep the program in the spotlight, but the fact that it keeps returning as a centerpiece of the uniform conversation says plenty about how the Red Raiders are choosing to present themselves. As the latest alternate gets its first run, the real issue is not whether it will draw attention. It is how much of Texas Techs identity is now being shaped by this annual crossover. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Just Got A Troubling Twist In Donovan Atwell's Case
A legal wrinkle out of the Tenth Circuit has put another layer of uncertainty around Donovan Atwells future, after the court granted a stay in the Colorado lawsuit that had opened the door for certain college basketball players to gain an extra year of eligibility. For Texas Tech, it adds to a situation that already sat in a gray area, with the Red Raiders waiting to see how the broader eligibility fight plays out.
Atwell has not filed an individual lawsuit, and for now he remains ineligible for the 2026-27 season while the legal process continues. There is still a path for him to pursue individual eligibility, but for Texas Tech and Atwell alike, the important part is what comes next, and that part is still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]