Joey McGuire vaulted to No. 3 among Big 12 coaches after leading Texas Tech to a league title and playoff berth, but the ranking may still feel low in Lubbock!
Joey McGuire and Texas Tech football have officially moved from intriguing Big 12 story to legitimate national threat.
Still, CBS Sports placing McGuire only third in its 2026 Big 12 coaching rankings is going to raise eyebrows across Lubbock, especially after the Red Raiders captured the conference championship, reached the College Football Playoff and went 3-0 against the two coaches ranked ahead of him.
McGuire checked in at No. 21 nationally and climbed 10 spots within the conference after ranking 13th a year ago.
No Big 12 coach made a more dramatic jump. It’s a massive acknowledgment of what he accomplished in 2025, but it also feels like CBS Sports is still asking him to prove the Red Raiders’ breakthrough wasn’t a one-year surge.
Fair or not, that’s the challenge now.
Texas Tech spent aggressively to strengthen its roster, but money alone doesn’t win championships. McGuire still had to blend transfers, returning veterans and massive expectations into a team capable of surviving the Big 12 race.
He did more than survive it.
The Red Raiders finished on top and earned a spot on college football’s biggest stage. That should carry serious weight when ranking the conference’s coaches.
The argument against putting McGuire at No. 1 is based largely on longevity. One championship season doesn’t automatically erase the complete body of work built by other coaches.
But the Big 12 isn’t exactly overflowing with established, decade-long winners anymore.
The league’s average head-coaching tenure entering 2026 is only 2.75 years, and four programs are introducing new leaders.
In a conference defined by constant turnover, McGuire suddenly looks like one of its most dependable anchors.
The pressure will be enormous in 2026. Texas Tech won’t surprise anybody this time, and every opponent will treat the Red Raiders like the hunted rather than the hunter.
Another Big 12 Championship Game appearance - or a second consecutive College Football Playoff berth - could push McGuire to the top of next year’s rankings.
For now, No. 3 is both a compliment and a challenge.
McGuire has already changed the expectations surrounding Texas Tech football. Now he gets the opportunity to prove this ranking should’ve been even higher.
