Texas Tech Climbs in AP and Coaches Polls After 49–0 Shutout of West Virginia

Texas Tech kept moving up in the national polls on Sunday. After beating West Virginia 49–0 on the road, the team moved up in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the US LBM Coaches Poll. Prior to Tuesday's release, the College Football Playoff committee had ranked the Red Raiders fifth last week.

The AP Poll moved Tech up two spots to No. 5, and the Coaches Poll moved Tech up one spot to No. 6. In both polls, the team is behind only Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia, and Oregon. After Texas A&M lost to Texas, the Aggies dropped from No. 3 to No. 7 in both lists.

After a historic run through Big 12 play, the Red Raiders' win in Morgantown was their second conference shutout of the season. As of now, Texas Tech is 11–1. On Saturday at 11 a.m., they will play BYU for the Big 12 Championship at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. The two teams went 8–1 in league play, making them the ninth and tenth teams in Big 12 history to win eight games in a season.

This year, Texas Tech has been very consistent, winning all 11 games by at least 20 points. The team tied Oklahoma's record for most lopsided wins in the Big 12 in 2008. Tech is also the only FBS team with 11 wins by 20 points or more. Utah is the next closest, with eight.

In the Big 12, Tech won four games away from home. They beat Utah, Houston, Kansas State, and West Virginia. Utah and Kansas State have some of the toughest home fields in the league. Since 2022, only Texas Tech has had a bigger home field edge.

The AP Poll, which came out on November 30, puts Ohio State at the top. Indiana, Georgia, Oregon, and Texas Tech are next. With Ole Miss at No. 5 and Tech at No. 6, the Coaches Poll has the same top four teams.

Texas Tech is in the best place in the country in more than a decade going into championship week. The Big 12 title is still on the line and the team has hopes of making the College Football Playoff.