The Big 12 Conference hosts its annual Football Media Days this week in the lead-up to the 2026 season. The event takes place at The Star in Frisco, home of the Dallas Cowboys, July 7-8.

Among the 16 teams in attendance, none will bring a larger presence than the Texas Tech Red Raiders, both in national and in-conference conversation.

Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders were a top story throughout the college football offseason because of the Brendan Sorsby saga and the coach's half-sarcastic jabs at Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian over scheduling. 

And during the season, Texas Tech was just as in the limelight for their play. The Red Raiders enter the 2026 year after a record-breaking 2025 season that included the program's first Big 12 title.

What are the top storylines to follow as we get the season underway? We have you covered here at RedRaiderRoundtable.

READ MORE: Inside Joey McGuire's Texas Tech Football Depth Chart

Many of these storylines below come as direct follow-ups of what turned out to be the most dramatic sequence of events the college sports world has ever seen.

Former transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby will not be with the Red Raiders this season, despite the school's nearly-undying support of his gambling addiction recovery. Ultimately, the conference's threat to pursue legal action to sanction the Red Raiders was a weight of pressure to severe to continue.

Will the distain for Texas Tech simply go away with time? Or is there newfound animosity here for the defending champions? And what happens with the dialogue around Cincinnati - the Big 12 member that played Sorsby for two seasons as he was actively gambling on the sport?

Both Tech and the conference likely hope this is a saga we can all move past ... but probably after we get some parting words off this week.

With or without Sorsby, Texas Tech is still thought of as the favorite to win the conference title. The Red Raiders' schedule does not include the three other teams most picked to contend in the league: BYU, Utah and Kansas State.

Of course, it's still no easy task. There are questions around the roster, newcomers who must prove themselves, and a schedule ahead that is sure to present an unexpected challenge that is typical in this conference at least a couple times a year.

My biggest questions: Could Texas Tech get to a high enough ranking for College Football Playoff consideration even without a conference championship bid? Would they need to make the Big 12 title game to ensure that safety? And do things change if they have one loss versus two?

The incumbent starter after Sorsby's departure is the third-year gunslinger Will Hammond, who was productive in his relief action last season for the injured, and now NFL-bound Behren Morton.

That was ... until Hammond tore his ACL. However, ESPN predicts that the Hutto native could be available as soon as Week 2, which would get him in line to compete in the conference opener, Week 3 against Houston.

"August 21 is nine months, so he should be released August 21," McGuire said a month and a half ago. "It could be a couple days before that. Even with all that, being game-ready, my mindset has always been we don't have to rush him back, so if we can have Will Hammond ready to go against Houston -- total 100%, he feels great -- that's kind of been the plan.

"We never let those guys get ahead of schedule, but if you could say somebody is ahead of schedule, Will Hammond is ahead of schedule," McGuire added. "Will Hammond is a different human. When I recruited him out of high school, he was the most mature 18-year-old I'd ever been around in my life. ... He's really serious about his rehab and has done everything he's supposed to do. We've got to hold him back."

McGuire can rest easy (somewhat) with the confidence he has in his running backs, who each return from last year's squad: Cameron Dickey, J'Koby Williams, and Quinten Joyner.

Dickey was an all-conference selection with a league-leading 14 rushing touchdowns. Williams added eight total scores and 868 yards rushing, along with solid work in the return game.

Joyner is the wildcard. He came into the fall this time last year as the projected starter, then suffered an injury that kept him out for the entire season. In two years at USC, Joyner rushed for 603 yards and four touchdowns. I doubt he overtakes Dickey and/or Williams as a starter, but this level of depth in the backfield is still a rare advantage for Tech.

Last year's squad was anchored by a disruptive, turnover-forcing defense that held opponents to just 11.79 points per game. It was a unit led by a handful of impactful transfers and a top-tier leader in the middle.

That sounds a lot like this year's defensive makeup, too.

Ben Roberts is the captain at linebacker, taking over the shoes of Jacob Rodriguez. He's flanked by a remade defensive line that's actually led by a returner, AJ Holmes.

Defensive ends Adam Trick and Trey White hope to continue a trend of NFL-bound edge rushers following in the likes of the nation's sack leader and No. 2 overall pick David Bailey, as well as high draftee Romello Height.

In the defensive backfield, Brice Pollock returns with star power after he tied for seventh in the country with five interceptions in 2025.

Holmes and tight end Terrance Carter Jr. represent the two leaders on each side of the ball when it comes to NFL potential.

Transferring to the Red Raiders in 2025 after three years in Houston, Holmes produced his best-ever season in college football. He posted 4.5 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss, both career highs, and we know how loaded the defensive line was last season, yet he still managed not only to see the field but also to be productive. That output is expected to double now that he's a regular starter and captain of the unit.

Carter posted 624 yards and 5 TDs from 55 receptions, to be a key cog in the offensive machine. Having been a serviceable tight end over the past two college seasons, as Carter enters the 2026 season, many are hoping that he can take his game to the next level.

Yes, he has all the physical attributes, but better stats for NFL teams to sink their teeth into is what the main thing people want to see.

For draft experts like ESPN's Matt Miller, Carter Jr. does have some size concerns, but if he puts great things on tape in 2026, that will ease those fears.

"He looked good in his first season with the Red Raiders in 2025, catching 55 passes for 624 yards and five scores," Miller wrote. "But the measurables will be a question mark. Carter is listed at 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds, numbers that are well below standard for an NFL tight end.

"But his explosiveness and easy movement in the open field could have scouts thinking of Harold Fannin Jr. as a player comp. Carter needs prolific stats and solid play to ease concerns about his size."

The Red Raiders are holding the conference by the horns on the field, but they're also doing the same on the recruiting trail.

Texas Tech is now considered a familiar face among the "top-10 lists" of many of the blue-chip high school and transfer prospects.

For the incoming freshman class, Tech has the No. 1-rated haul in the Big 12, featuring 5-star prospects like offensive tackle Felix Ojo and defensive end LaDamian Guyton.

The Red Raiders are climbing up the national charts, too, in addition to their conference dominance in the 2027 cycle. Thus far, Texas Tech ranks No. 9 in the country in 2027 recruiting with pledges from 5-star and No. 1 overall prospect D-lineman Jalen Brewster, 5-star linebacker Anthony Sweeney and elite offensive talents like quarterback Kavian Bryant, running back SaRod Baker and wide receiver Benny Easter Jr.