After a dozen wins (all of which were by 20 or more points), a Big 12 championship, and an appearance in the College Football Playoff this past football season, it seems like Joey McGuire and the Texas Tech Red Raider football team are poised to continue building upon the success they had a season ago.
The Red Raiders are recruiting incredibly well and the Texas Tech coaching staff has thrived in the recruiting portal, picking up some talented players along the way.
But, as the Red Raiders try to continue elevating their program next season, there are going to be plenty of Big 12 teams that will do everything possible to prove that Texas Tech isn’t the best in the conference. And that might just include some teams with new head coaches.
Like the Oklahoma State Cowboys, for example.
If you ask college football analyst David Pollack, Eric Morris and the Cowboys might prove to be a bit of a problem for some teams in the Big 12 this coming season.
Can Eric Morris and the Oklahoma State Cowboys make life difficult for the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Big 12 title race in 2026?
It remains to be seen if Oklahoma State will be able to have any sort of instant success next season, but they did just poach away one of the most innovative head coaches in the country and they were able to take much of the North Texas Mean Green offense out of Denton on up to Stillwater.
Pollack seems to believe that the Cowboys will have the potential to do something special because of that infusion of talent and innovation.
“This has a chance to now be something special,” Pollack said on his podcast while pointing to the fact that Morris was able to bring in so many players who are not only talented but also are familiar with the offense that the Cowboys will want to run.
Y'all need to keep a look out for @CowboyFB.
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) January 27, 2026
That portal class... new coach... hmm... pic.twitter.com/yJRyI2pYhx
“You’re bringing in basically a 5-star QB now then and they all know your system,” Pollack continued. “The national touchdown leader in Caleb Hawkins and one of the top wideout, best young guys in the country in Wyatt Young at wide receiver, like this has got a chance to really click, really hit, hit the ground running and be one of the best turnarounds we’ve seen.”
As for what the ceiling is for the Cowboys? Well, Pollack seems to think that things will improve in a hurry and he mentioned that eight wins shouldn’t be out of the question. But as for the total potential for this team?
“In the Big 12, they’ve got a chance to do something special,” Pollack stated.
It’ll be intriguing to see just how much of a threat that Oklahoma State poses to the Red Raiders this coming season.