With one of the greatest seasons in Texas Tech football history all wrapped up, the Red Raiders will be heading into next season with plenty to prove. Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders accomplished quite a bit this season, but the way things ended has a few people online a bit dismissive of everything that Texas Tech did throughout the season.
So, as Texas Tech looks to build upon their 12-win season (all of those wins were by over 20 points, by the way) that featured a Big 12 championship and a College Football Playoff spot, the Red Raiders are going to be getting a bit more attention (and scrutiny) this offseason and next year.
Which makes a little bit of sense. Expectations are elevated for the Texas Tech football program. We’ve even got the Red Raiders making the top 10 in way-too-early 2026 college football rankings.
Joey McGuire and the Texas Tech Red Raiders earn the No. 8 spot in way-too-early 2026 college football rankings
Here’s what the top 10 looks like from Nicholas Rome over at FanSided’s Saturday Blitz:
- Texas Longhorns
- Oregon Ducks
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Georgia Bulldogs
- LSU Tigers
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Michigan Wolverines
To be completely honest, that feels a little low for the Red Raiders, but I’m not totally sure who I’d place the Texas Tech football team above. I think I’m still in “wait-and-see” territory with the LSU Tigers, though I suspect Lane Kiffin is probably going to hit the ground running there.
The team that likely has the most to gripe about, in my opinion, is probably the defending national champs. The folks over in Bloomington, Indiana probably won’t love the fact that Rome has the Indiana Hoosiers at No. 5. Or maybe they’ll be nice and patient with him. I don’t know.
Also, if you want to see where the rest of the top 25 ended up (including the Miami Hurricanes, who are notably not in Rome’s top 10), you should check out his full 2026 way-too-early rankings.