Texas Tech seized a historic title. Can they sustain dominance amidst a shifting Big 12 landscape with a new quarterback?
College football in the Big 12 rarely stands still, and that chaos is exactly what makes Texas Tech’s moment at the top feel both earned and fragile.
After capturing its first outright conference championship since 1955, the Texas Tech Red Raiders enter the offseason as the league’s team to beat - at least on paper.
CBS Sports has labeled the Red Raiders at No. 1 in its Big 12 Power Rankings.
The timing is fascinating. The Big 12 is undergoing one of the most dramatic resets in recent memory. New quarterbacks are being installed across much of the league, longtime program pillars have moved on, and the All-Big 12 roster has been nearly wiped clean.
In that environment, continuity and smart roster management suddenly matter more than ever.
Texas Tech earned its championship the hard way. The Red Raiders dominated conference play, winning eight of nine Big 12 games by multiple scores and pairing that efficiency with a defense that routinely suffocated opponents.
That group powered Tech all the way to the College Football Playoff, cementing the program’s place among the nation’s elite.
The challenge now is sustaining that success after significant graduation losses. The defensive core that carried Tech through last season is gone, meaning the unit will need to reinvent itself rather than reload.
Fortunately for the Red Raiders, the portal era rewards programs that can identify fits quickly - and Tech has done just that.
Offensively, the spotlight shifts to transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby, one of the most highly regarded additions in the conference this cycle.
Sorsby arrives with a reputation for poise and productivity, and he’ll be asked to guide a revamped offense that looks faster and more versatile than last year’s group.
If he settles in quickly, Texas Tech’s offense could become just as dangerous as its defense was during the title run.
Defensively, leadership remains in place at linebacker, where John Curry and Ben Roberts return to anchor the middle.
Their experience will be invaluable as new faces rotate into key roles up front and in the secondary. One of those newcomers is Wake Forest transfer Mateen Ibirogba, whose ability to disrupt at the line of scrimmage should help ease the transition for a retooled front.
What makes Texas Tech particularly intriguing is the margin for error - or lack thereof. Seven different teams have won the Big 12 over the past seven seasons, a reminder that preseason favorites don’t stay comfortable for long. With months to go before kickoff, Tech’s grip on the top spot is provisional.
Still, as spring turns into summer, the Red Raiders deserve their place as the conference’s early benchmark.
They’ve proven they can climb the mountain. The next test is showing they can stay there.
FULL BIG 12 POWER RANKINGS
1. Texas Tech Red Raiders
2. BYU Cougars
3. Houston Cougars
4. Arizona Wildcats
5. Arizona State Sun Devils
6. Utah Utes
7. TCU Horned Frogs
8. Oklahoma State Cowboys
9. Kansas State Wildcats
10. Kansas Jayhawks
11. Cincinnati Bearcats
12. Colorado Buffaloes
13. Baylor Bears
14. UCF Knights
15. West Virginia Mountaineers
16. Iowa State Cyclones