CBS Sports debates Big 12's 'Playoff-or-Bust' team in 2025
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Although head coach Joey McGuire is focused on taking things one day at a time in Lubbock, the outside pressure is mounting for Texas Tech to have a breakthrough season. Heading into 2025, an impressive transfer portal haul has led many analysts to label the Red Raiders as a 'Playoff-or-Bust' team.
The problem, of course, is that Texas Tech has just one double-digit win season since 1977, which occurred in 2008 when the Red Raiders finished at 11-2. Outside of that, Texas Tech has struggled to establish itself as a legitimate conference championship threat in the Big 12.
While that history is unavoidable, today's era of college athletics means that any program with strong NIL support can assemble a 'championship' roster, and that appears to be the case now in Lubbock.
According to the latest rankings from 247Sports, Texas Tech's 2025 transfer portal class now ranks No. 2 in the nation, trailing only LSU. That portal class is headlined by guys like David Bailey (EDGE), Romello Height (EDGE), Cash Cleveland (IOL), Howard Sampson (OT), and Micah Hudson (WR). In fact, 13 of Texas Tech's 21 incoming transfers are considered four-star prospects, highlighting just how much the Red Raiders went all-in on bringing top-level talent to Texas Tech.
With the talent and the resources in place, analysts now view Texas Tech as the Big 12's team with the most to prove in 2025.
"The resources are there for Texas Tech. But that being said, I'm 38 years old, Texas Tech has one double-digit win season in my lifetime. So unless you're just earmarking this team as a projected Big 12 champion, I don't think missing the playoff would be that big of a disappointment. I do think this team is headed for 9 or 10 wins, but the Big 12 is likely not a multi-bid league in the playoff. So we're talking about the Red Raiders having to hope that all of these transfer portal acquisitions and some of the depth that McGuire has built there in Lubbock, we're hoping that all of those equal a Big 12 championship. But I don't know. They haven't won 10 games enough perennially for me to call it a 'failure' if they miss the playoff."
"When you are in the position of saying, 'I want more,' when more is given, more is expected. So when you're in the category of second portal class... and we understand what the portal means. It means. Portal means I need all of my alums and the boosters to give me as much money as possible to go out there and get the best players, not to win 8, 7, or 6 games anymore. It's time to get into the 'big boy' conversation. Arizona State did it last year. So if they did it without the resources that you have right now, why can't you do it with the resources we've given you."
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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