Red Raiders Climb Into Top 10 in AP and Coaches Polls

After starting the season 5-0, Texas Tech has entered the top 10 in both major polls heading into Week 7

Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

With a win in Week 6 over the Houston Cougars, the Texas Tech Red Raiders have climbed into the top 10 in both major polls.

The Red Raiders ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll, sitting inside the top 10 for the first time since 2008. In the Coaches Poll, they ranked No. 10.

BREAKING: College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/bfhxEXhVCW pic.twitter.com/4ozXe7esE9

— On3 (@On3sports) October 5, 2025

With multiple losses from top 10 teams, the path was laid out for Texas Tech after its win over Houston. It was the Cougars' first loss of the season; meanwhile, the Red Raiders progressed to 5-0, 2-0 in the Big 12.

Both Texas and Penn State lost to unranked schools, dropping them from the top 10 to outside the top 25. That helped Tech jump from 11th to ninth in the AP Poll, sandwiched between a pair of SEC schools, Alabama and Georgia.

The last time the Red Raiders were ranked this highly was in 2008, a season in which Texas Tech finished 11-2 (7-1) and lost to Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl. They started the season ranked 12th and ended the season at 12th in the AP Poll. There was a three-way tie at the top of the Big 12 that left the Red Raiders on the outside of the conference title game.

The 2025 team is currently on pace for a similar finish, sitting as the odds-on favorite to win the Big 12 and an early contender for the College Football Playoff. Texas Tech has averaged 48.6 points per game on offense (second) while allowing just 11.2 points on defense (fourth).

Texas Tech has five straight wins by 20+ points for the first time since 1953-54. How about these Red Raiders.

— Shehan Jeyarajah (@ShehanJeyarajah) October 5, 2025

The next test comes against a 4-2 (2-1) Kansas Jayhawks squad on Saturday, Oct. 11. The Red Raiders face two more teams that are currently sitting in the AP Poll top 25: the No. 21 Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday, Oct. 18, and the No. 18 BYU Cougars on Saturday, Nov. 8.

Texas Tech, Arizona State, BYU, and Iowa State are the only Big 12 programs currently ranked in the AP Poll, with Iowa State dropping to No. 22 after a road loss to Cincinnati, the top vote-getter sitting outside the top 25.

Oct 4, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Raiders head coach Joey McGuire sings the school song after defeating the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

With two of the three ranked conference opponents on their schedule, the Red Raiders will have plenty of opportunity to prove themselves not only to the College Football Playoff Committee but also to climb up the rankings.

The Red Raiders have yet to make an appearance in the College Football Playoff, and they are in a prime position to make an appearance as they enter the heart of their conference schedule.