Texas Tech enters 2026 as the Big 12 favorite, with Will Hammond leading a loaded roster projected to finish 11-1 and defend its conference championship.
Texas Tech football isn’t sneaking up on anyone in 2026. After capturing the program’s first Big 12 championship last season, the Red Raiders enter their opener against Abilene Christian with a bigger target, higher expectations and a roster built to make another run at the College Football Playoff.
The season begins Saturday, Sept. 5, at newly renamed Galaxy Stadium in Lubbock. While Abilene Christian provides the first test, the real question hovering over Joey McGuire’s program is much larger: Can Texas Tech handle life as the team everyone in the Big 12 wants to knock off?
USA TODAY Sports believes it can. The Red Raiders are projected to finish 11-1 overall and 8-1 in conference play, putting them in position to win a second consecutive Big 12 championship.
That’s rare air for a program that spent years trying to break through the conference’s upper tier.
Quarterback Will Hammond will be at the center of Texas Tech’s title defense. The junior takes over an offense featuring multiple players receiving national recognition before the season has even started.
Hammond, center Sheridan Wilson, tight end Terrance Carter Jr. and running backs J’Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey were all selected for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list.
Freshman offensive lineman Felix Ojo is also attracting attention. The highly regarded newcomer earned a spot on the Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Year Award watch list, giving Texas Tech another potential difference-maker in the trenches.
The Red Raiders won’t have an uncontested path back to the Big 12 Championship Game. BYU is projected to finish 9-3 overall and 7-2 in conference action, making the Cougars Texas Tech’s most obvious challenger.
Houston, Arizona and Utah are each forecast to finish 6-3 in Big 12 play.
Those projections illustrate how little room for error Texas Tech will have. One poor Saturday could reshape the entire conference race.
Still, McGuire has spent several years building toward this moment. Texas Tech now possesses the depth, star power and confidence expected from a defending champion. The Red Raiders aren’t merely hoping to remain relevant, they’re carrying legitimate expectations of another trophy and a deeper postseason run.
Abilene Christian represents the opening step. The real challenge begins once Texas Tech discovers whether last season created momentum or pressure.
In 2026, the Red Raiders won’t be chasing the Big 12. The Big 12 will be chasing them.
