Texas Tech is getting the backing of oddsmakers in its hopes of bringing another Big 12 title back to Lubbock this season.
LUBBOCK -- To say Texas Tech was dominant in its run toward the program's first Big 12 Championship would be an understatement.
The Red Raiders absolutely obliterated all but one of the foes on their schedule and made a serious statement in the process.
While this team solidified its spot in the conference pecking order, how is the latest bunch of Red Raiders looking to fare this upcoming year?
Unfortunately for those around the league, it does not appear that Texas Tech is going anywhere anytime soon, especially so this season.
Head coach Joey McGuire and company lost a school-record nine NFL Draft picks and several other departures throughout the course of the offseason. Instead of panicking, the staff went to work to fill in these gaps with strong returners or highly touted transfers.
These efforts resulted in heavy preseason accolades from the Big 12 and national media for Texas Tech and several individual Red Raiders.
And even those crafting up the sportsbooks are buying into the hype spreading out of Lubbock.
Yahoo! Sports reported that its oddsmakers placed Texas Tech as the favorite to capture back-to-back titles with an overall line of -100.
The next two closest challengers were the usual suspects, as BYU and Utah came in with nearly identical odds. However, the Cougars got the slight edge at +600 while the Utes trailed behind at +800.
Although these numbers mean very little outside of the chance to grab a few extra bucks, which is hardly the case with Texas Tech, the confidence from those setting the lines reaffirms the Red Raiders' position inside the Big 12.
And further odds give insight into how they think Texas Tech will fare in the national rankings.
The Red Raiders were given a win total projection of 11.5, which is the exact same outlook the team finished with last season.
Outside of the gambling implications, this mark shows that the Red Raiders are presumed to have a high chance to go perfect through their slate and contend for a high seed in the College Football Playoff again.
Obviously, they will still have to line up and win games on the field and outside of the hypothetical sphere to live up to these lofty goals. A win or two in the postseason serves as the ultimate achievement.
After the high amount of turnover and uncertainty at quarterback, it could have been very easy to write Texas Tech off as a one-time story for the ages.
But the Red Raiders refused to be ignored and have a serious chance to cement themselves as the standard of the Big 12 for years to come.
