It seems as though the media hype train is running through Lubbock, Texas.
Most recently, USA TODAY Sports national writer Paul Myerberg had the Red Raiders as a dark horse coming out of the Big 12 after finishing 8-5 in 2022. They capped off the season with a convincing 42-25 victory over Ole Miss, where they forced four turnovers on defense.
While any one of the newcomers could make an immediate splash, Texas Tech has the strongest case for rising from the league’s second tier and cracking the New Year’s Six under coach Joey McGuire.
It seems as though McGuire has made quite the impact on the football field as well as the recruiting trail. A man that doesn’t lack energy, as best demonstrated in his introductory press conference where he led the “RAIDER POWER” chant before addressing the media.
A Hall of Fame high school football head coach in the state of Texas is all about building relationships. The evidence might be his work on the recruiting trails and in year one of the McGuire era, it paid off on the field. The team beat both the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns in the same season, a first in Red Raiders history. While that might not mean a whole lot to those outside the team, it meant a lot to the fanbase and boosters who have invested in the program.
Much like Myerberg, Shenhan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports is buying in to the Red and Black.
Big 12 Dark Horse: Texas Tech Red Raiders
What Jeyarajah Says…
The Red Raiders have not won an outright conference title since 1955 as a member of the Border Conference. They haven’t played for a conference championship since divisions were established after losing a tiebreaker to Oklahoma in 2008. But unlike those previous teams, this Texas Tech squad is led by Joey McGuire.
McGuire is a former Texas high school coach who led the Red Raiders to their best record since 2013 in his first season. More importantly to the fanbase, McGuire’s team beat Texas and Oklahoma in the same season for the first time in program history. Texas Tech has some key pieces to replace defensively, but a strong recruiting class mixed with a few targeted transfers gives the Red Raiders a chance to have a strong sophomore campaign.
The team is ready to prove last season wasn’t a fluke and they will get tested early on in the season when the Oregon Ducks make their way to Jones AT&T Stadium.
Check out Jeyarajah’s full list of CFP dark horses by conference.