On the Hardwood
Texas Tech hosting Houston on Saturday has been moved up to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday because of the impending weather. I’ll obviously have a full preview tomorrow morning because that’s what I do.
CBS Sports’ Isaac Trotter has the resume grades thus far for early title contenders and says that Texas Tech is a lock along with Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, BYU, and Kansas.
On the Gridiron
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College Poll Tracker has the final AP Top 25 Poll with Texas Tech finishing 7th, behind Indiana, Miami, Ole Miss, Oregon, Ohio State, and Georgia (and one spot ahead of Texas A&M).
CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah on the Big 12 games that will shape college football in 2026 and includes Texas Tech vs. Arizona State and Texas Tech vs. TCU (both in Lubbock).
ESPN’s Bill Connelly predicts the 2026 playoff brackt and thinks Texas Tech wins the Big 12:
In 2026, then, it’s going to be Tech versus the best of the close-game turnaround teams. And two teams stand out in that pack. Kansas State went 2-5 in one-score finishes in 2025, 1-4 in Big 12 play, and between close losses and all the new demands of modern roster management, head coach Chris Klieman retired and was replaced by up-and-comer (and former K-State quarterback) Collin Klein. His first Wildcats roster will look awfully different, with over 30 players transferring out and 25 coming in (to date), but he did hold onto hot-and-cold quarterback Avery Johnson.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma State went 0-4 in one-score finishes and 0-3 in conference play, and it turned what was destined to be a bad season into a truly awful one. The Cowboys went 1-11, sent Mike Gundy out to pasture, and brought in Eric Morris (who, in turn, brought in a lot of his recent North Texas stars).
The pick: Texas Tech. Another predictable pick. The Red Raiders are a far safer pick than either K-State or OSU, and after the level of domination they showed in 2025 (average score of Tech’s Big 12 contests: Tech 38, opponent 11) we’ll ride the hot hand. I do figure their defense takes a step backward, but the signing of quarterback Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati), the addition of receivers such as Malcolm Simmons (Auburn) and Donte Lee Jr. (Liberty) and the return of a pair of strong running backs (Cameron Dickey and J’Koby Williams) could ensure that offensive improvement offsets any defensive regression.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach has his way too early top 25 and has Texas Tech at No. 7:
2026 outlook: After Texas Tech’s No. 1-ranked transfer portal class helped it win its first outright conference title since 1955, the Red Raiders went back into the portal to reload, which figures to happen every season as long as there’s natural gas and oil in the Lonestar State. Sorsby was the biggest pickup, after Tech’s offense flopped in a 23-0 loss to Oregon in the CFP Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl. Running backs Cameron Dickey and J’Koby Williams are returning, and the Red Raiders grabbed a trio of speedy receivers out of the portal. The losses on defense are enormous, starting with Bailey, Hunter and Height up front. Ibirogba was ESPN’s No. 1-rated interior defensive linemen, and White and Trick were highly ranked on the edge. The Red Raiders will be counting on Romaine to fill in for the irreplaceable Rodriguez.