Despite the fact that the Texas Tech Red Raiders have routinely looked dominant through the first three weeks of the season, Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders aren’t at the top of the Big 12 in the latest ESPN FPI rankings.
I mean, the Red Raiders aren’t all that far from the very top. Right now, they rank in as the No. 4 team in the conference according to the FPI rankings.
And this week, Texas Tech will get a chance to meet up with one of the few Big 12 teams currently ranking ahead of them as they fly out to Salt Lake City to match up with the Utah Utes, who currently hold the No. 1 spot in the Big 12 according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.
ESPN FPI rankings, September 17, 2025: Texas Tech ranks No. 4 in the Big 12 ahead of matchup with Utah Utes
Here’s what the Big 12 looks like right now, according to the latest ESPN FPI rankings:
- Utah Utes
- BYU Cougars
- TCU Horned Frogs
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Iowa State Cyclones
- Arizona Wildcats
- Baylor Bears
- Cincinnati Bearcats
- UCF Knights
- Houston Cougars
- Kansas State Wildcats
- Colorado Buffaloes
- West Virginia Mountaineers
- Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Red Raiders are holding on to that No. 4 spot despite being tied at 3-0 with the Utah Utes (and also the Arizona Wildcats). Interestingly enough, the Iowa State Cyclones have the best record in the Big 12 at 4-0, but they’re sitting closer to the middle of the conference than they are to the top of the Big 12 at the moment.
That’s particularly fun to talk about because you’ve got teams like Arizona State and Kansas sitting above the Cyclones even though both the Sun Devils and Jayhawks have suffered losses already.
Also worth discussing is how both the Utes and the BYU Cougars are on Texas Tech’s schedule. Obviously we get to see Utah meet up with the Red Raiders this weekend and that’s something we’re going to discuss in depth as we go throughout the week. Later in the season though, we’ll get to see BYU come to Lubbock on Nov. 8.