It's always great when you can be rewarded for doing nothing. That's what happened for the Texas Tech football team on Sunday.
Despite not playing this week, the Red Raiders moved into the top 10 of both national polls thanks to some upheaval with the teams ahead of them. This marks the first time in 2026 that Tech has been in the top 10 of both sets of rankings.
In the Associated Press Poll, Tech checks in at No. 10. That's one spot better than last week. In the AFCA Coaches Poll, they remain at No. 9, which is where they were ranked a week ago after beating Colorado in Boulder.
It has been a slow climb for the Red Raiders to finally crack the top 10 in both polls. Tech started the season at No. 12 in each poll and has stayed in the top 13 all season while enjoying a 5-0 start.
However, an argument can be made that Tech should be ranked higher. For instance, the team at No. 9 in the A.P. poll, Ole Miss, has no argument to be ahead of the Red Raiders.
This season, Ole Miss is 4-1 with a loss to Florida, which is currently unranked and on a two-game skid. What's more, the Rebels' best win of the season was a home victory over LSU, which currently sits at No. 22 in the latest A.P. poll.
Meanwhile, the Red Raiders are undefeated. Their best win was a home victory over Houston, the No. 20 team in this week's A.P. rankings. So why is Ole Miss ahead of Tech?
Certainly, if Tech were in the SEC or Big 10, they would be ranked even higher. However, the bias that voters have against the Big 12 is clear.
There are two Big 12 teams in the top 10, with BYU ranked 8th in both polls. Each of those Big 12 teams is undefeated in 2026, but BYU sits behind three teams with a loss, while Tech is ranked lower than four teams that have suffered a defeat.
Of course, Tech hasn't exactly lit the world on fire this year. They have covered the spread in only two of their five games. That's one talking point that people are holding against them.
However, has Texas (No. 7 in the A.P. and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll) looked like a top-10 team at any point of the season outside of the fourth quarter of their comeback victory over Ohio State? Certainly not.
If Tech had a different logo on their helmets or a different conference patch on their jerseys, they would be perhaps a top-5 team. After all, who has No. 2 Notre Dame beaten this year? They have not played a ranked team, and their best win is over a 3-2 unranked North Carolina squad that is mediocre at best.
For now, though, all Tech can do is continue to win. If they do, the rankings will take care of themselves.
This coming Saturday, Notre Dame and BYU tangle in Provo, Utah. Also, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana meet in Bloomington, Indiana. Meanwhile, Ole Miss will host No. 13 Missouri, one of the hottest teams in the country. Also, No. 6 Alabama will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, to take on rival No. 14 Tennessee.
In other words, the next weekend of college football could see more chaos in the top 10 ahead of Texas Tech. So if the Red Raiders can handle their business at home against Arizona State, they will move up to where their resume suggests they should be.
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