Where Is Texas Tech in the Initial College Football Playoff Rankings?

As the college football regular season turns its final corner, the College Football Playoff Committee's rankings reset the balance across the country. While the AP and Coaches polls dominate conversations early in the year, the CFP is determined by where teams land in the rankings.

That sets up the Texas Tech Red Raiders nicely heading into Week 11; they climbed a spot compared to the AP Poll. Tech is situated at No. 8, one spot below their upcoming opponent, the BYU Cougars.

#️⃣8️⃣ in the initial @CFBPlayoff rankings pic.twitter.com/Y8TNjMwhIn
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) November 5, 2025

This sets up their "College GameDay" matchup as No. 7 at No. 8. The contest will be front of mind for college football fans as it not only has massive implications for the Big 12 but the College Football Playoff standings at large.

As things currently stand, that would set up a first-round matchup with the Oregon Ducks. The game would be hosted on campus at Jones AT&T Stadium, with the winner facing the Ohio State Buckeyes.

However, there is still plenty of time for things to shake up in the College Football Playoff poll, especially in the Big 12. The loser of the BYU-Texas Tech game likely falls out of the top 10, but with multiple spots of cushion, either one could still be in the race.

More importantly, however, a loss would put Texas Tech in the club of two-conference-loss Big 12 teams, alongside Cincinnati, Houston, and No. 13 Utah. Wins over the Cougars and Utes could be crucial in a tiebreaker scenario, but for the Red Raiders, the most important thing right now is to win.

The initial College Football Playoff Rankings and the projected 12-team bracket: pic.twitter.com/jdeKYWIvhs
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 5, 2025

There are only three Big 12 teams in the initial College Football Playoff rankings: BYU, Texas Tech, and Utah. No. 7 BYU is the only other team currently in the projected 12-team bracket, hosting the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Provo, Utah.

A win over BYU on Saturday, Nov. 8, puts Texas Tech in the driver's seat not only for a Big 12 Championship Game berth but for a College Football Playoff berth. A win in the conference title game guarantees an automatic bid, while a loss in a potential title bout complicates things further.

The Red Raiders look to close out their season on a winning streak to better their odds for the College Football Playoff Committee. They play two games at home and finish their season on the road following a bye week:

• Saturday, Nov. 8: No. 7 BYU at No. 8 Texas Tech
• Saturday, Nov. 15: UCF at No. 8 Texas Tech
• Saturday, Nov. 29: No. 8 Texas Tech at West Virginia

Cold front coming. pic.twitter.com/U6zrrQDIj3
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) November 4, 2025

The Red Raiders currently sport a solid résumé, though their loss to the Arizona State Wildcats was the lone blemish. Texas Tech opened the year 8-1, its best start in over a decade, with a 5-1 conference record.

Both the offense and defense have been potent: tied with Tennessee for the third-best scoring offense (43.6 points) while boasting the fifth-best scoring defense (13.22 points). This has led to all eight wins coming by 23+ points. However, the Red Raiders are 0-1 in one-score games.

They have wins against some of the better teams in the Big 12, including Utah, Kansas, and Kansas State. There is still plenty of time to prove the Red Raiders are in the upper echelon of programs this season, but the path is in front of Texas Tech to earn its first-ever College Football Playoff spot.

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