The Red Raiders' 12-win Big 12 champs ride balanced dominance as Joey McGuire chases the Dodd Trophy.
Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire is no longer just the architect of the Red Raiders' resurgence, he's now on the short list for one of college football’s most prestigious honors.
McGuire has been named one of five finalists for the 2025 Dodd Trophy, awarded annually to the head coach who combines on-field success with scholarship, leadership and integrity.
It’s McGuire's first time as a finalist for any national coaching award, and it caps a breakout year in which Texas Tech has kicked the door down on the College Football Playoff.
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The Red Raiders have already set a school record with 12 wins, claimed their first Big 12 title, and earned a spot in the CFP Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl, where they'll face the winner of No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 James Madison.
McGuire is one of four first-time Dodd finalists, alongside Indiana's Curt Cignetti, Ohio State's Ryan Day and Vanderbilt's Clark Lea.
Georgia's Kirby Smart rounds out the list as a finalist for the third time. That’s the neighborhood Texas Tech is now living in ... shoulder to shoulder with bluebloods and playoff regulars.
What makes this Red Raider run different is the balance.
Texas Tech enters bowl season ranked top five nationally in total offense (480.3 yards per game), total defense (254.4 yards allowed), scoring offense (42.5 points per game) and scoring defense (10.9 points allowed).
They're the only team in the country to crack the top five in all four categories, while also leading the FBS in rushing defense (68.5 yards per game) and takeaways (31).
That statistical dominance has translated into scoreboard beatdowns. Tech sits at 12-1, with all 12 wins coming by at least 20 points.
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In the AP era, only 2018 Alabama has ever done that before a bowl game. This isn't just a good Texas Tech team; it's one of the most imposing outfits the sport has seen in years.
McGuire's four-year mark of 35-17 gives Texas Tech more Big 12 wins (25) than any other program in that span, and it's the best 52-game start for a Tech head coach since Pete Cawthon in the 1930s.
Now, with a Big 12 title in hand and a CFP run on deck, McGuire heads into bowl week in Atlanta as a Dodd Trophy finalist ... and as the face of a Red Raider program that suddenly feels built to last.