Texas Tech (7-1, 4-1 in the Big 12) is No. 15 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of 2026, Texas Tech Athletics announced Tuesday night. The Red Raiders host West Virginia on Saturday at a sold-out Galaxy Stadium.
No. 15 in the first CFP rankings
Five Big 12 teams appear in the Top 25: Utah at No. 3, BYU at No. 9, Texas Tech at No. 15, Houston at No. 17 and Arizona at No. 22. Texas Tech has beaten two of them, Houston 28-26 on Sept. 18 and Arizona 34-26 on Oct. 31.
It is the second straight season Tech has appeared in the initial CFP Top 25. The Red Raiders were No. 8 in the first 2025 rankings and finished No. 4. They are No. 13 in both the AP and AFCA Coaches polls.
Four regular-season games remain: West Virginia on Saturday, at Oklahoma State on Nov. 14, at Baylor on Nov. 21 and TCU at home on Thanksgiving. The next CFP rankings come out Nov. 10 at 8 p.m., with the final rankings and 12-team bracket set for Dec. 6.
West Virginia game sold out
Texas Tech has sold out its primary ticket inventory for Saturday's 8:30 p.m. kickoff, its Celebrate America Game, on ESPN. It is the sixth advanced sellout of 2026 and the 13th straight home game to sell out, dating to the start of the 2025 season.
Tech will try to extend its home winning streak to a program-record 14 games. The department directs fans seeking tickets to SeatGeek, its official secondary provider, and urges ticket holders to download tickets before arriving. Tickets remain for the Nov. 26 game against TCU.
Stonehill basketball game moves to noon
The men's basketball game against Stonehill College on Saturday, Nov. 14, at United Supermarkets Arena now tips off at noon, one hour earlier than originally scheduled. The Red Raiders (1-0) first host Bethune-Cookman at 8 p.m. Thursday and No. 3 Illinois at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Source: Texas Tech Athletics. TexasTech.com
