Despite some early season fears, Texas Tech is right back in the same spot where it left off last season, as the Red Raiders are near the top of the national rankings.
Texas Tech is knocking on the door of the heights it reached last season, at least when it comes to national rankings.
Following its massive 28-26 win over then-No. 22 Houston, the Red Raiders saw upward movement in their place among the best teams in college football.
In the latest release to the two major polls, the Associated Press and Coaches, Texas Tech found itself inside or right on the doorstep of the top 10.
The AP slotted the Red Raiders in its No. 11 spot, which is a two-spot leap from where it began the week after knocking off the Cougars in Lubbock on Friday.
It is also the highest ranking of the season thus far for Texas Tech, which started the year at No. 12 before sliding down slightly to No. 13 where it sat for the past two releases of the poll.
For most of last year, Texas Tech was a staple of the top 10, especially toward the later part of the season. But just four weeks in to their latest campaign, the Red Raiders are nearing a return to that esteemed status.
However, the voters in the Coaches Poll felt that Texas Tech has already earned the right to enter the exclusive group of teams.
The Red Raiders also shifted up two spots in that poll, which cemented them at No. 10 in the minds of the coaches.
Despite some shaky performances and less dominance than was displayed a year ago, Texas Tech is still garnering respect from those around the nation and has been given the benefit of the doubt that took them most of the prior year to earn.
But there is plenty left to prove for this group of Red Raiders.
Look no further than the fact that Texas Tech is not the highest ranked team from the Big 12, even with its impressive position in both polls.
BYU sits atop the conference when it comes to these rankings, as the Cougars sport an identical No. 9 placement in both the AP and Coaches Top 25.
Although they do not have a meeting currently scheduled, Texas Tech and BYU were the overwhelming favorites to return to the Big 12 Championship and appear to be on a collision course through three weeks of the season.
Outside of BYU, Utah arrived in the top 15 at No. 15 after another huge win for the Utes and Houston hung on at No. 25 after the defeat at the hands of Texas Tech to give the Big 12 four total selections in the AP Poll.
Texas Tech will look to keep moving up when it hosts Sam Houston State this Saturday at Galaxy Stadium at 11 a.m. CT.
