Should Texas Tech football fans care if the Red Raiders are ranked?

When the latest college football polls were released, many Texas Tech fans expected to see their school included in the rankings. However, despite the fact that Tech is 5-1 on the year and 3-0 in Big 12 play (tied atop of the conference standings with BYU and Iowa State), the Red Raiders still couldn't crack the top 25. What's more, head coach Joey McGuire's team is only seventh in the "others receiving votes" category in the A.P. poll with 18.

This latest snub has upset many people in Scarlet and Black. But should it?

On one hand, it is easy to see why Tech fans are perturbed. Not only did the Red Raiders receive fewer votes than Arizona State, a team the Red Raiders beat 30-22 last month, but Tech also sits behind teams such as Army and Navy, both of which are in the poll at No. 23 and No. 25 respectively.

While no one begrudges those service academies their moment in the sun, especially given that each is undefeated, the reality is that Tech has a much better resume than either by virtue of playing in the Big 12. In fact, Tech is one of only seven teams in the country with at least three wins over FBS teams with a winning record. Additionally, the teams the Red Raiders have played thus far have a combined record of 26-10.

Why isn't Texas Tech ranked?

That brings us to the question of why the Red Raiders are still on the outside looking in. There are a number of reasons why.

First of all, Texas Tech isn't a name-brand program. We all know that if a school like Oregon, Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, or any other blue-blood program were 5-1 overall and 3-0 in their conference, they would be squarely in the top 25.

Take Michigan for instance. This year, the Wolverines are just 4-2 on the season and they have a loss to Washington on their resume, an unranked team. That defeat is similar in stature to Tech's loss to Washington State in week two.

Both Michigan's loss to Washington and Tech's loss to Washington State were road games for the losing team and each exposed the Wolverines' and the Red Raiders' flaws.

Additionally, Michigan has no wins over teams currently ranked in the top 25, just like Tech. Their best win this far is the 27-24 home win they secured against a USC team that was No. 11 at the time.

Since then, though, the shine has come off of that victory given that USC is now unranked after subsequent losses to Minnesota and Penn State. Even so, the Wolverines are still ranked simply because they are Michigan. If they were another school with a less prominent national profile, they would likely be unranked at this point just like Tech.

Another reason that Tech isn't ranked is that the Red Raiders haven't been dominant in their wins. All three of their conference wins have come by just one score. What's more, their win over FCS opponent Abilene Christian was just a one-point OT escape.

The only team the Red Raiders have blown out this year is North Texas. Though that win was impressive, beating a mid-tier group of five program won't move the needle with national voters.

Finally, the Red Raiders are being under valued because they play in the Big 12. This week, only three Big 12 teams are in the poll and two of them, No. 9 Iowa State and No. 13 BYU, are undefeated overall.

The reality is that voters (and most other college football fans) don't value the Big 12 like they do the S.E.C. and Big Ten. Thus, Big 12 teams have an uphill battle to earn national respect. We feared that would be a likelihood when Texas and Oklahoma left the conference and now those fears have become a reality.

Should Texas Tech fans care that the Red Raiders are unranked?

It is easy to understand why many Red Raider fans are irked by being left out of the rankings despite having one of the better resumes in the FBS. After all, this is a fan base desperate to get more national attention after years of being irrelevant.

However, the reality is that the polls mean less this year than ever before. Neither the A.P. poll nor the Coaches Poll are going to be factors when the College Football Playoff Committee hands out its bids for the new 12-team playoff field.

Instead, the committee will compile its own rankings based on the criteria is has established. Thus, the traditional polls that have guided the sport for years shouldn't carry much weight this season.

Yes, it will be human nature for the committee members to be aware of and perhaps slightly biased by the traditional rankings. That's just the way all college football fans and observers have been conditioned after watching the sport for decades.

However, the only ranking that will matter will be the committee's ranking. That's the ranking that the Red Raiders will want to be part of.

Of course, if the Red Raiders continue to win games, they will get their due. What's more, by sitting in first place in the conference at the halfway mark of the season, Tech can realistically dream of winning the Big 12. Should that happen, Tech will get an automatic bid to the playoff party regardless of what the traditional polls say.

What really matters is that the Red Raiders keep winning. This is a program that has always performed better when it has been overlooked and if McGuire's team can keep knocking off Big 12 foes each week, it will eventually command respect from around the country.

So relax Red Raiders. Yes, we all would love to see Tech get its due from the national voters and pundits. After all, constantly being overlooked does get old. However, we must remember that this program has been out of the national and Big 12 conversations for 15 years.

The good news, though, is that the Red Raiders have the best opportunity they have ever had to play for a conference title and potentially earn a spot in the playoff. That should be our focus right now, hoping that the Red Raiders can continue their winning ways and make their way to Arlington, Texas in December. If that happens, the rankings will take care of themselves.