Texas Tech’s rise continued Sunday as the Red Raiders climbed to No. 11 in the AP Top 25 and No. 9 in the US LBM Coaches Poll after a 29-7 win over Colorado in Boulder on Saturday night.
The Red Raiders are 5-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play, and they’ll carry that unbeaten start into a bye week before hosting Arizona State on Oct. 17.
The AP release also placed Texas Tech in a crowded upper tier behind a familiar top group. Texas stayed No. 1 for the fourth straight week and will head into the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma in that spot.
Georgia held at No. 2, followed by Notre Dame, Miami and Ohio State. Alabama remained No.
6, Indiana stayed at No. 7, BYU moved up to No.
8, Mississippi sat at No. 9 and LSU climbed to No. 10, pushing Texas Tech just outside the top 10.
Texas pulled in 61 of the 70 first-place votes from the media panel, while Georgia earned six and Miami got two. Indiana picked up the final first-place vote.
Elsewhere near the top, Missouri made the week’s biggest leap among the ranked teams, jumping 11 places to No. 14 after blasting Florida 45-17 in Columbia, Missouri. That loss sent Florida tumbling eight spots to No.
- Missouri’s rise was the second-biggest of the season, trailing only Florida’s 13-spot jump last week.
Iowa slid six spots to No. 20 after a 17-point home loss to Ohio State, and SMU dropped three places to No. 24 after a home win over Boston College that didn’t impress the poll voters. Pittsburgh entered the rankings at No. 25 after edging Virginia Tech 35-33, while Kentucky fell out after last week’s No. 24 ranking.
Pittsburgh’s ranking comes with a setback, though: quarterback Mason Heintschel tore his ACL on Friday and will miss the rest of the season.
The AP also noted a few milestones around the poll. Texas’ four-week run at No. 1 is its longest since a six-week stretch in 1977.
Oregon is making its 70th straight appearance in the Top 25. Utah has climbed in every poll this season after opening at No.
- Indiana has now dropped one spot in each of the last three polls.
The conference breakdown shows the SEC leading the way with nine ranked teams, followed by the Big Ten with six and the Big 12 with five. Texas Tech is one of five Big 12 teams in the poll, joining BYU, Utah, Oklahoma State and Houston.
The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released Tuesday, Nov. 3.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Fans Stumbled Onto A Colorado Mystery Before Kickoff
Texas Tech supporters got an unexpected glimpse behind the curtain before kickoff when a 25-page Colorado game plan playbook was reportedly found at the Buffaloes' team hotel. The document appeared authentic and, according to the report, lined up with plays Colorado actually used in the game, turning what might have been a routine pregame footnote into a curious subplot around the matchup.
The game itself only deepened the intrigue for the Red Raiders, who watched Colorado struggle through a 29-7 loss marked by turnovers and interceptions. After a third straight defeat, Deion Sanders pointed to problems inside the program and said the Buffaloes will open up the quarterback competition during the bye week, leaving plenty of questions for a team trying to steady itself. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Defense Just Turned A Nervy Start Into A Statement Win
Texas Tech walked into Boulder facing a tricky setup and spent the first half looking like a team trying to find its footing. Colorado had the early edge, but the Red Raiders kept hanging around long enough for the defense to start tilting the game their way, and once the takeaways started coming, the whole mood of the night changed.
John Curry, Brice Pollock and Malik Esquerra each came away with interceptions as Texas Tech turned a halftime deficit into a 29-7 win. Will Hammond threw for 134 yards and a touchdown, while J'Koby Williams and Quinten Joyner also found the end zone, giving the Red Raiders a road victory that felt a lot cleaner by the finish than it did when it began. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Escapes One Cameron Dickey Fear But Another Question Looms
Texas Tech got one encouraging bit of news out of Cameron Dickeys ankle injury from the Colorado game when X-rays came back negative, easing fears of anything catastrophic. Head coach Joey McGuire said the back is likely dealing with a high ankle sprain, but the timing of the Red Raiders open week gives the staff at least a chance to see if Dickey can work back in time for Arizona State.
Even with Dickey sidelined, Quenten Joyner handled a bigger workload and made his presence felt in the win over Colorado. That keeps Texas Tech from feeling completely exposed if Dickey needs more time, but it also leaves a familiar question hanging over the next stretch: how much of the offense will be available when the Red Raiders return to the field? [Read more 🡒]