Texas Tech got its first real answer from the College Football Playoff committee on Tuesday night, and it was not the kind the Red Raiders wanted.
At 7-1 with two wins over top-25 teams at the time those games were played, Texas Tech landed at No. 15 in the opening playoff rankings. That slot leaves Joey McGuire’s team on the wrong side of the current cut line and sends a pretty clear signal about how the committee views the Red Raiders’ résumé through eight games.
The message is simple: unless the chaos meter gets turned all the way up around college football, Texas Tech is probably going to need the Big 12 title to get into the playoff.
That reality is not exactly a shock to a lot of Tech fans. All season, the conversation around the Red Raiders has centered on the strength of their schedule, or the lack of the kind of heavyweight slate other playoff hopefuls have had to survive.
The committee’s first rankings made that issue even more obvious. Tech sits behind six two-loss teams, and every one of those teams comes from the SEC or the Big Ten. That’s where the frustration starts to boil over for Red Raiders supporters, especially when several of those teams don’t have the same quality wins Tech does.
Take No. 14 LSU, for example.
The Tigers have just one win over a ranked opponent, and that came against No. 23 Texas A&M.
Since then, Texas A&M has slid to 4-4, which leaves LSU without a win better than Tech’s victories over No. 17 Houston and No.
22 Arizona.
No. 11 Notre Dame is another one that jumps off the page.
The Irish haven’t beaten a ranked team at all, and they’ve only played one - BYU - and lost that game. Still, they’re sitting well ahead of Texas Tech.
Then there’s Alabama at No. 5 with a 6-2 record. Strip away the helmet logo, and that ranking would look a lot different.
The Crimson Tide’s only win over a team currently in the top 25 is No. 6 Kentucky.
So while the ranking stings, it doesn’t change the bigger picture all that much. Texas Tech’s playoff hopes are still alive, but the road just got a lot tighter. The Red Raiders now know the committee isn’t giving them much room for error, and their path to the playoff looks extremely narrow.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Just Lost A Key DL Battle With One Twist
Texas Tech was in the mix for one of the top defensive line prospects in the state, but Logan Lokey is headed to Oklahoma after choosing the Sooners over several other schools. The 4-star recruit from Denton said his comfort with the coaching staff played a major role in the decision, and he sounded especially energized about the chance to work under defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis and head coach Brent Venables.
For Texas Tech, the miss stings because Lokey fits the kind of in-state talent every program wants to keep close to home. There is still a wrinkle in the story, though, because his commitment comes with the usual recruiting caveat tied to coaching stability, and it remains to be seen whether he stays locked in if Oklahomas staff changes before he enrolls. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Got An Early Spark From The Players Fans Needed Most
Texas Tech opened its season with a convincing 76-42 win over Jackson State, and the early surge came from the kind of newcomers Red Raiders fans were eager to see make an immediate impact. Damarion Dennis and Cruz Davis combined for 37 points, with Dennis pacing all scorers with 22 and Davis adding 15 points along with six steals, giving the home crowd a first look at the energy and two-way presence the roster was hoping to add.
Even with the defense setting the tone and forcing 24 turnovers, the Red Raiders still had room to clean up their perimeter shooting after a rough night from beyond the arc. The bigger takeaway, though, is that Texas Tech found production from fresh faces right away, and that kind of start can go a long way as the schedule tightens and the team looks for more consistency around its new core. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Should Watch This TCU Problem Before November Arrives
November is going to ask plenty of TCU, and Texas Tech has every reason to keep an eye on how the Horned Frogs handle it. The stretch ahead is a tough one, with three of the final four games coming against ranked opponents, including Arizona, Utah and the Red Raiders. For a team still chasing bowl eligibility, the margin for error is thin, and the pressure only grows if the offense cannot find a steadier rhythm to match a defense that has carried much of the load.
Sonny Dykes has kept the messaging simple, stressing one game at a time instead of letting the schedule get ahead of itself. Players have echoed that confidence, insisting they are ready to compete with top teams, but November has a way of exposing whether that belief holds up. For Texas Tech, the larger question is not just how TCU finishes, but whether the Frogs enter that late-season meeting with enough momentum to make it a problem. [Read more 🡒]