Texas Tech opens 2026 ranked No. 12 in both major preseason polls as Joey McGuire’s Red Raiders chase another Big 12 title and CFP run.
Texas Tech football enters the 2026 season ranked No. 12 in both the AP Top 25 and U.S. LBM Coaches Poll, and this time the Red Raiders aren’t sneaking up on anybody.
After winning a school-record 12 games, capturing the Big 12 championship and reaching the College Football Playoff last season, Joey McGuire’s program has officially moved from intriguing contender to nationally relevant heavyweight.
That No. 12 preseason ranking is the second-highest in Texas Tech history.
Only the 1977 team, which opened at No. 8, started a season with more national respect. Now comes the harder part: proving 2025 wasn’t a one-year spike.
The Red Raiders return 11 starters from a team that didn’t just win often; it won big.
All 12 victories last season came by at least 20 points, making Texas Tech just the fifth team since 1936 to produce a season with that kind of dominance.
There’s plenty of proven talent coming back, especially on defense.
Defensive lineman A.J. Holmes Jr. enters 2026 as the preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and headlines a loaded group of returning standouts.
Cornerback Brice Pollock and linebackers Ben Roberts and John Curry give Texas Tech experience at every level of the defense.
The offense also returns several established weapons, including tight end Terrance Carter Jr., wide receiver Coy Eakin and running backs J'Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey.
Even the special teams unit brings back proven production with kicker Stone Harrington.
Seven Red Raiders earned preseason All-Big 12 recognition, with newcomers Adam Trick and Austin Romaine joining Holmes, Roberts, Pollock, Carter and Harrington on the list.
Perhaps the biggest statement in the AP poll isn’t just Texas Tech’s national ranking. It’s where the Red Raiders sit compared with the rest of the Big 12.
Texas Tech is the conference’s highest-ranked team at No. 12, ahead of No. 14 BYU, No. 21 Utah and No. 23 Houston. Arizona, TCU and Oklahoma State also received votes.
Ohio State opens at No. 1 nationally, followed by Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas.
For Texas Tech, though, the message is clear.
The Red Raiders spent last season proving they belong in the national conversation. In 2026, everybody already knows they do.
