Texas Tech climbed in Tuesday night’s College Football Playoff rankings, but the Red Raiders are still stuck in the worst possible neighborhood: just outside the bracket.
After their win over West Virginia, Tech moved up three spots to No. 12 in the committee’s second release of the season. That puts the Red Raiders first among the teams left out, with only 11 Power 4 spots available once the automatic berth for the top Group of 6 champion is accounted for.
The frustration for Texas Tech is obvious. The Red Raiders are 8-1, while No.
11 Kentucky and No. 10 BYU both sit at 7-2.
But committee chairman Hunter Yurachek laid out why Tech is still trailing those teams on Tuesday night.
"I mean, Texas Tech, first of all, they got an 8-1 record," he said. "Got a lot of respect from the committee.
They benefited from some teams losing above them, the rankings that moved them up three spots. Compared to Kentucky and BYU, Texas Tech strength of schedule, by our metrics, currently 65, Kentucky is 8, and BYU is 24.
"They all three have two quality wins. Texas Tech beat Houston and Arizona.
Kentucky has beaten LSU and South Carolina. BYU has beaten Notre Dame and Arizona.
"You look at the losses. Texas Tech's one loss is to a 5-4 Cincinnati team.
BYU lost obviously, this past weekend to our No. 2-ranked team in Utah. Also has a loss to UCF.
Kentucky has two losses to Alabama, who is ranked third, and Tennessee, who is ranked eighth.
"That's how we compared those teams and came up with BYU at 10, Kentucky at 11, and Texas Tech at 12."
The committee’s message was pretty clear: schedule strength is driving the conversation, and Tech’s numbers there are working against it. That’s not something the Red Raiders can fully control, either. They don’t get to pick the Big 12 opponents on the calendar, and with more Power 4 teams playing nine conference games, lining up strong nonconference matchups has become tougher.
Still, there’s a chance for the picture to shift quickly. Texas Tech heads to Stillwater this week to face Oklahoma State, which is ranked No.
- A win there would give the Red Raiders three victories over teams in this week’s CFP rankings, a boost that could matter when the committee meets again.
There’s also a broader development working in Tech’s favor: the Big 12 has some real presence in the rankings. Utah is No. 2 behind Georgia, followed by Alabama, UCLA, Notre Dame, Texas, Miami, Tennessee, Indiana and BYU. Houston is No. 14 and Arizona sits at No. 23, giving the league six teams in the top 25.
That has people around the sport wondering whether the Big 12 could eventually get two teams into the playoff field. And if Texas Tech keeps winning and takes the conference title, there’s even a scenario where the league could land three teams if BYU runs the table and Utah falls to the Red Raiders in the championship game.
For now, though, the path is simpler than all that. Texas Tech just has to keep stacking wins. Close or not, every victory helps the Red Raiders’ case, and every week they stay in the hunt keeps the playoff door from closing.
In Other News...
TCU Just Added A Big Man Texas Tech Fans Should Notice
TCUs frontcourt got a notable late boost this week with the official signing of center Robbie Avila, a transfer from Saint Louis who arrives with an extra year of NCAA eligibility. For Texas Tech fans keeping an eye on the Big 12 landscape, it is the kind of move that can matter down the line, especially when a rival program adds a big man who is known for bringing more than just size to the floor.
Avilas arrival comes at a useful time for the Horned Frogs after junior center Luke Bamgboye was injured, leaving some uncertainty up front. TCU is clearly looking for versatility in that group, and Avila gives it another option as the roster takes shape. The timing of his move also adds a little extra intrigue, since his path to Fort Worth was shaped in part by Saint Louis being denied permission to add a 16th player to its roster. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Has Momentum Everywhere Except One Painful Question
Texas Tech has had no shortage of good news around campus lately, with several programs building momentum at the same time. The Lady Raiders are set to host Auburn and have already added three recruits to their 2027 class, the mens basketball team is coming off a win and getting ready to host Stonehill, and JKoby Williams has put himself in the national spotlight as a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award.
Even so, one of the more frustrating reminders of how quickly a season can turn came from the soccer pitch, where Texas Tech was knocked out of the Big 12 Tournament in a 2-1 overtime loss to Baylor. It is the kind of result that lingers because the Red Raiders had plenty else to celebrate across the athletic department, yet the tournament exit leaves a painful question hanging over the program as the rest of the school keeps moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Is Suddenly At The Center Of A Big 12 Playoff Push
The Big 12s playoff conversation has picked up a different kind of heat lately, and Texas Tech is right in the middle of it. On a recent discussion, Josh Pate and Joel Klatt pointed to Utah, BYU and the Red Raiders as teams that could give the league a legitimate path into the College Football Playoff, a notable shift for a conference that has spent plenty of time trying to prove it belongs in the national picture.
What makes the discussion even more interesting from a Texas Tech perspective is the broader change in how the league is being viewed. Pate and Klatt suggested the Big 12 may have a stronger playoff resume than the Big Ten this season, and they even floated the possibility of the conference landing three bids. For a league that has often been fighting for respect, that kind of scenario would mark a real turning point. [Read more 🡒]