This isn’t your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it’s my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they’re good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Texas Tech lands in my Ultimate 136.
Texas Tech Red Raiders ranking: 22
Last year’s ranking: 34
Top player: Edge David Bailey: Spent three seasons at Stanford, most notably recording 7 sacks and 5 forced fumbles; his 5 forced fumbles ranked fourth in FBS, and his 93.2 PFF pass rush grade led all players in FBS.
RJ’s take: After watching Arizona State go from 3-9 to Big 12 champion and CFP selectee, Texas Tech is right to think, “Why not us?”
Despite leading the Big 12 in points per game (37.8) and yards per game (462.8), Tech finished 8-5 in 2024. It has decided to go for broke to win the league in 2025.
Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders reportedly spent $10 million in NIL money to acquire 17 players during the winter transfer window with an emphasis on front-loading contracts in anticipation of the House v. NCAA settlement that would cap earnings for players.
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The result was adding former USC running back Quinten Joyner and former Houston tackle Howard Sampson, who stands 6-foot-8, 325 pounds, among others, in a push to win the Big 12 Championship in 2025 to properly christen its new $242 million Womble Football Center.
The gambit isn’t new. Ole Miss tried it and failed. But with billionaires behind the money, like Cody Campbell, it’s a bet worth placing for a program in Lubbock that wants to become as successful as its most successful former player in Patrick Mahomes and become known for winning championships. Though coordinators Mack Leftwich and Shiel Wood are new to the Red Raiders, 13 players are set to return as starters. The 13 transfers McGuire brought in include former Stanford edge David Bailey, who reportedly signed a $2 million deal to play in Lubbock, Texas.
[Check out RJ Young’s Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]
Texas Tech Red Raiders Win Total: Over 8.5 (-154) Under 8.5 (+126)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school’s rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I’ll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
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