The No. 1 Holiday Wish for Texas Tech Fans
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The holidays hopefully are a time for joy, laughter, and fun among family and friends. Texas Tech fans are hoping all their wishes come true, especially this one.
There is little doubt that the viewership and coverage of college football make it the most popular collegiate sport. Texas Tech football has had an outstanding season, and they have one goal in mind this holiday season.
Holiday Wish No. 1: Texas Tech football to be the 2026 national champions.
It has been a long journey for the Red Raiders this season, but the fans have almost enjoyed every minute of it. Texas Tech has not lost since its lone defeat this season, which came on the road against Arizona State. Besides winning the Big 12 conference title, the Red Raiders have shown why they deserve a top-four seed in the CFP with the hopes of winning a national title.
This isn't the Texas Tech team from the past that only played offense and not defense. The Red Raiders of 2025 boast the third-best scoring defense in the country, giving up only 10.9 points per game. They need to keep stopping the other team's running game, led by All-American linebackers Jacob Rodriguez and David Bailey. Tech has only let six opponents score in single digits this year. They need to do the same thing against fast-paced offenses like Oregon's.
Behren Morton, a senior quarterback, has been the best player on offense this year. He has won all of his games as a starter this season. The offensive line needs to give Morton a clear pocket if they want to beat Oregon and beyond. Cameron Dickey's run game is solid, but Morton's ability to avoid turnovers (just four interceptions all season) is what makes this team a national title contender.
Oregon's plan for the Orange Bowl against Texas Tech is to make the contest a high-scoring "track meet." Texas Tech wins this game and a possible national title by keeping the score in the 20s or low 30s. They achieve their goal by utilizing their outstanding defensive front to disrupt passing lanes and force field goals instead of touchdowns.
In close playoff games, scoring points can be challenging. Stone Harrington, the kicker, has made 22 field goals this year. A reliable "weapon" from more than 40 yards away might be the difference between leaving the quarterfinals and winning a national championship trophy.
In short, the Red Raiders need to win three games in a row against the best teams in the country to become champions. In the Capital One Orange Bowl, they will play No. 5 Oregon. If they beat Oregon, they would play the winner of the quarterfinal game between No. 1 Indiana and No. 8 seed Alabama. If they win in the semifinals, they will play a strong team from the other side of the bracket, either Georgia or Ohio State, in the title game.
In the AP poll era, Texas Tech is one of only five teams to win 12 or more games by 20 or more points in a single season. In the past, teams that have done this have virtually invariably finished as the national champion or the runner-up. Achieving national champion status would fulfill the final wish of many, if not all, Texas Tech fans and make their holidays unforgettable.
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Ryan Kay is a journalist who graduated from Michigan State in 2003 and is passionate about covering college sports and enjoys writing features and articles covering various collegiate teams. He has worked as an editor at Go Joe Bruin and has been a contributor for Longhorns Wire and Busting Brackets. He is a contributor for Texas Tech On SI.