Texas Tech Remains Solid at No. 13 in Newest AP Poll Release

LUBBOCK -- Texas Tech was able to keep its undefeated season alive after overcoming a furious rally from Oregon State 35-24 in its first trip to Corvallis.

While it was a much closer matchup than most would have anticipated beforehand, the Red Raiders were victorious nonetheless and it seems voters shared that sentiments.

In the latest release to the Associated Press poll, Texas Tech remained locked in the No. 13 spot with a total of 910 votes for the Red Raiders.

For the first time in the young season, Texas Tech was not the highest ranked Big 12 team in the top 25.

BYU leapt over the Red Raiders to No. 11 following its conference opening win over Arizona 28-17.

Two other programs from the conference made the cut, with Utah rising to No. 17 and Houston sticking at No. 22.

READ MORE: Red Raiders 'Found A Way to Win': Texas Tech Coach Joey McGuire's Honest Reaction

Obviously, it was not expected that Texas Tech would climb up after staving off the Beavers with some late-game heroics, especially with not a lot of other movement above it.

The performance for the Red Raiders was less than ideal, but with a resilient win in a hostile environment under its belt, it would have been a stretch to severely punish them in the rankings.

That leaves Texas Tech right where it started before the trip to the Pacific Northwest and gives it a prime opportunity to shoot up this week.

One of the most anticipated matchups in the Big 12 heading into the year was Houston coming to Lubbock for a showdown with Texas Tech in week three.

With that date finally here, Texas Tech has its first chance to prove its worth with one of main contenders eyed to usurp its throne.

And the stakes on that matchup are even higher, as both the Red Raiders and Cougars are within the top 25 heading into Friday night's clash inside Galaxy Stadium.

READ MORE: Texas Tech's Offense Rises, Defense Falls in Win Over Oregon State

As previously mentioned, Houston stayed put after a thrashing of Southern 77-6 at TDECU Stadium to improve to 2-0.

Through only two weeks, the Red Raiders and Cougars already share a common opponent in Oregon State.

Houston had a battle of their own with the Beavers but also emerged with a 33-20 win at home.

In what could prove be one of the most pivotal games in the Big 12 and possibly the entirety of college football, Texas Tech welcomes Houston to Lubbock on Friday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.