Texas Tech has emerged as the Big 12’s strongest College Football Playoff hopeful, but the Red Raiders still face the burden of validating their rise on the sport’s biggest stage.
Coming off an 8-5 campaign in 2024, Texas Tech surged to a 12-1 record and No. 4 CFP ranking behind a conference championship and one of the nation’s most balanced offenses.
The Red Raiders’ lone loss came in Week 7, a 26-22 setback against Arizona State in which they struggled to generate explosive plays and allowed more than 300 passing yards. Since then, they have resembled a different team.
Senior quarterback Behren Morton has guided an offense averaging 42 points per game and 8.3 yards per pass attempt. Morton threw a career-high 27 touchdown passes last year and has relied more on the ground game in 2025, with sophomore running back Cameron Dickey nearing the 1,000-yard mark. Dickey, who has 944 rushing yards, has helped stabilize the offense following the departure of all-time leading rusher Tahj Brooks to the NFL.
Defensively, senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez has delivered one of the nation’s standout seasons with 97 tackles and four interceptions, earning Heisman chatter around Lubbock.
Texas Tech’s dominance against BYU in the Big 12 title game also affirmed a broader truth. The league’s best path to national relevance rests with a single heavyweight. Commissioner Brett Yormark pushed for BYU’s inclusion in the CFP conversation, but Saturday’s result reinforced the gap between the teams. And the necessity of an elite standard-bearer for a conference still seeking national validation in the post-Texas and Oklahoma era.
Texas Tech has invested heavily to reach this point. Some $30 million in roster building. Now, with a first-round bye on the table, the Red Raiders must prove they belong by winning and not just qualifying.
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