For one reason or another, the folks voting on the AP poll didn’t seem to like the way the Texas Tech Red Raiders effortlessly crushed Arkansas-Pine Bluff in week 1. I don’t know why the AP Poll voters didn’t seem to like the start to the 2025 Texas Tech football season, all I know is the Red Raiders moved down (not just in ranking, but also in the points allocated via votes).
And that doesn’t feel great!
I mean, I know it’s not the end of the world, but Texas Tech did exactly what it was supposed to do to start the season and the Red Raiders lost ground in the AP Poll because of that.
Did the Red Raiders move down because they slowed down on offense a bit in the second half when they were already up 47-0? Should Joey McGuire and Texas Tech put 100 points on the board on Saturday when they face Kent State?
I don’t know. Does this matter at this point in the season? Absolutely not. Does it still feel silly? 100 percent yes.
Texas Tech Red Raiders sink in AP Poll Top 25 rankings after steamrolling right over the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions
Here’s what the full AP poll looks like right now:
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- LSU Tigers
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Miami Hurricanes
- Oregon Ducks
- Texas Longhorns
- Clemson Tigers
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Florida Gators
- Florida State Seminoles
- Michigan Wolverines
- Iowa State Cyclones
- SMU Mustangs
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Utah Utes
The Red Raiders dropped from No. 23 to No. 24. Which isn’t far, but it’s still enough to annoy me. The Red Raiders received 274 votes last week and they were ranked ahead of the Tennessee Volunteers and the Boise State Broncos. Boise State got demolished and dropped out of the rankings and the Vols beat up on Syracuse and then leapfrogged both Tech and Indiana.
This will all sort itself out as the season goes. The Red Raiders will have chances to improve upon their rankings. As long as they keep winning, they’ll (probably) move up the way they’re supposed to.