Joey McGuire and the Texas Tech Red Raider football team made a fair bit of program history during their 2025 run. Between winning the Big 12, snagging a dozen victories, and earning a spot in the College Football Playoff, the Red Raiders were one of the most entertaining teams in the country to keep up with throughout the season.
And it looks like the Red Raiders should be really solid once more next season. Only this time Texas Tech won’t be overlooked at all. Instead, the Texas Tech football team will be one of the highest profile teams in the country because of that recent success.
Well that and all of the recruiting wins and transfer portal fun that McGuire and his staff are having right now. The Red Raiders are certainly going to get plenty of attention heading into this next season because of all of those factors.
So it shouldn’t be a shock to see the Red Raiders considered among the best teams in the country. In FanSided.com’s Way-too-early AP Top 25 college football rankings projections, the Red Raiders are a top 10 team (sitting just outside of the top five).
Texas Tech Red Raiders sitting at No. 6 in FanSided’s early AP Top 25 projected rankings following 12-win season and CFP berth
Here’s what the top 10 looks like in these projected way-too-early college football rankings, according to Cody Williams at FanSided.com.
- Texas Longhorns
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Oregon Ducks
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Miami Hurricanes
All things considered, I think that’s a good spot for the Red Raiders to be in. Admittedly, it’s a little odd seeing Texas Tech ahead of Oregon given what we just witnessed there (and knowing that Dan Lanning and the Ducks also tend to thrive in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail, just like McGuire and his staff do). But I’ll take it. I won’t complain.