Texas Tech enters 2026 ranked No. 12 nationally after a 12-win season, Big 12 title and CFP berth, but now Joey McGuire’s team is the hunted.
Texas Tech football isn’t sneaking up on anyone anymore.
The Red Raiders enter the 2026 season ranked No. 12 in both the AP Top 25 and U.S. LBM Coaches Poll, putting Joey McGuire’s program squarely in the national spotlight after a breakthrough 2025 season that included a school-record 12 wins, a Big 12 championship and a College Football Playoff appearance.
As discussed on The Red Raiders Daily Blitz on FanStreamSports.com, that ranking represents something bigger than preseason hype.
Texas Tech has officially become the team everybody in the Big 12 is chasing.
The No. 12 ranking is the second-highest preseason position in program history. Only the 1977 Red Raiders, who opened at No. 8, started a season with more national respect.
That’s a huge shift for a program that spent years trying to break through the ceiling.
Now the question is whether Texas Tech can stay there.
McGuire’s team didn’t just pile up victories last season. It dominated. All 12 wins came by at least 20 points, making the Red Raiders just the fifth team since 1936 to accomplish that in a single season.
And there’s enough returning talent to believe this thing isn’t about to disappear.
Defensive lineman A.J. Holmes Jr. enters the season as the preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and headlines a defense loaded with experience.
Cornerback Brice Pollock returns on the back end, while linebackers Ben Roberts and John Curry give Texas Tech proven production in the middle of the defense.
The offense isn’t starting over, either.
Tight end Terrance Carter Jr., wide receiver Coy Eakin and running backs J'Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey all return, while kicker Stone Harrington provides stability on special teams.
Seven Red Raiders earned preseason All-Big 12 recognition, with newcomers Adam Trick and Austin Romaine joining Holmes, Roberts, Pollock, Carter and Harrington.
But perhaps the loudest statement comes from where Texas Tech sits compared with the rest of the conference.
The Red Raiders are the highest-ranked Big 12 team, ahead of No. 14 BYU, No. 21 Utah and No. 23 Houston.
That changes the mentality.
Last year, Texas Tech could play the disrespect card.
Not anymore.
Every opponent now sees a Big 12 champion. Every opponent sees a playoff team. Every opponent sees that No. 12 next to Texas Tech’s name.
That’s what happens when a program becomes nationally relevant. The Red Raiders spent 2025 proving they belonged. In 2026, the challenge is proving they’re here to stay.
