{"id":417336,"date":"2026-08-26T15:24:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T15:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/417336\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T15:24:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T15:24:10","slug":"5-questions-can-texas-tech-repeat-as-big-12-champions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/417336\/","title":{"rendered":"5 questions: Can Texas Tech repeat as Big 12 Champions?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Texas Tech\u2019s push to the College Football Playoff was the highlight of last season. Here are five burning questions facing the Big 12<\/a> in 2026:<\/p>\n

Can Texas Tech repeat as champion?<\/p>\n

The Red Raiders were already considered the preseason favorites before losing starting quarterback Brendan Sorsby<\/a>, and despite his decision to drop an injunction that would have allowed him to play despite being ruled ineligible by the NCAA for gambling, Texas Tech still remains the top choice in the Big 12.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what happens when you\u2019ve reportedly invested nearly $40 million into your roster.<\/p>\n

Texas Tech had seven players earn a spot on the Big 12\u2019s preseason all-conference team, led by a pair of defensive linemen in A.J. Holmes Jr. and Adam Trick, along with linebackers Ben Roberts and Austin Romaine and defensive back Brice Pollock.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t include three returning offensive linemen, Terrance Carter Jr., Howard Sampson and Sheridan Wilson, running back Cam Dickey and kicker Stone Harrington.<\/p>\n

Joey McGuire\u2019s team also faces the easiest schedule in the league, according to ESPN\u2019s Football Power Index. TTU has home games against Houston (Sept. 18), Arizona (Oct. 31) and TCU (Nov. 26) and doesn\u2019t face BYU or Utah.<\/p>\n

Who are the biggest challengers to a Red Raiders repeat?<\/p>\n

BYU\u2019s only two losses last season were to Texas Tech, including a 34-7 defeat in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Cougars were outscored 63-14 in both games and finished as the runners-up to the Red Raiders.<\/p>\n

Still, BYU<\/a> has enough pieces to make another run at a conference title with 13 returning starters, led by quarterback Bear Bachmeier. The Cougars also feature six preseason all-conference selections, including running back LJ Martin, the league\u2019s offensive POY.<\/p>\n

Houston and Utah could be the dark horses in the title race.<\/p>\n

Houston is second only to Texas Tech in production returning from last season, with the Cougars featuring senior quarterback Conner Weigman and all-conference receiver Amare Thomas. Coach Willie Fritz is no stranger to getting the most out of his teams, having won a pair of American Conference titles in 2022 and 2025.<\/p>\n

Utah has a new coach for the first time in more than 21 years, with longtime assistant Morgan Scalley taking over for Kyle Whittingham this offseason. The Utes\u2019 only losses were to BYU and Texas Tech last season. But if quarterback Devon Dampier takes the next step in his development, all bets are off on Utah\u2019s chances.<\/p>\n

Is Arizona\u2019s Noah Fifita a Heisman Trophy candidate?<\/p>\n

\"ArizonaArizona is promoting quarterback Noah Fifita for the Heisman Trophy, but can the Wildcat become the first player from the school to win the award? (Rick Scuteri\/AP File Photo)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been more than a decade since a Wildcat has found his way into the Heisman Trophy conversation. The last to do so was linebacker Scooby Wright, who finished ninth in the voting in 2014. The year prior to that, AU running back Ka\u2019Deem Carey finished 10th in the voting for college football\u2019s ultimate individual prize.<\/p>\n

The good news for Fifita is that 39 quarterbacks have won the award since 1938, the second-most behind running backs\/halfbacks at 40 and ahead of wide receivers at 5, according to The Athletic.<\/p>\n

The bad news is that the senior is not among the favorites for the award, at least not according to sportsbooks like FanDuel, where Fifita trails a bevy of quarterbacks, including Notre Dame\u2019s CJ Carr, Texas\u2019 Arch Manning and Ole Miss\u2019 Trinidad Chambliss.<\/p>\n

Even so, it\u2019s early and a strong season plus road wins over BYU (Sept. 12) and Texas Tech (Oct. 31) could go far in making his case for a postseason trip to New York.<\/p>\n

Can a rebuilt Oklahoma State contend in Year 1?<\/p>\n

Oklahoma State is coming off a dismal 1-11 season that saw the program fire longtime coach Mike Gundy. In the offseason, the Cowboys brought in Eric Morris, a Texas native who\u2019s known for his innovative offenses and his ability to develop quarterbacks. Two things that the 40-year-old coach did at Incarnate Word and North Texas.<\/p>\n

Now, Morris will try to work his magic in Stillwater with a roster that features an influx of North Texas transfers, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins. Mestemaker was the AAC Offensive Player of the Year last season after passing for 4,379 yards while Hawkins rushed for 1,434 yards.<\/p>\n

The defense, which also received an influx of talent through the portal, hopes to improve on finishing near the bottom of the conference in scoring, rushing and passing defense categories.<\/p>\n

Any shot of contending would depend on how the team fares with a schedule that features home games against Oregon (Sept. 12) and Texas Tech (Nov. 14), with road contests at Houston (Oct. 17) and Arizona State (Nov. 21).<\/p>\n

Is Deion Sanders on the hot seat at Colorado?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s undeniable that Sanders has done a lot to elevate the Colorado football program in the three short seasons since his arrival in Boulder in 2023. The Buffaloes\u2019 brand has grown immensely, particularly with donors and boosters.<\/p>\n

But on the field, Colorado has struggled to become a consistent winner. Outside of a 9-win season in 2024, which included a Heisman Trophy performance by Travis Hunter, the Buffaloes have struggled to find their footing.<\/p>\n

Colorado is projected to finish near the bottom of the league once again, according to a media poll put on by The Tulsa World newspaper and the recruiting rankings have the Buffs dead-last in the league in recruiting classes.<\/p>\n

Sanders\u2019 health has been a concern after battling bladder cancer last season. He declared he was cancer-free during media days.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s unlikely Sanders would be fired if Colorado struggles again this season, the pressure could start mounting.<\/p>\n

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>. Sign up for the Sentinel\u2019s Knights Weekly<\/a> newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Texas Tech\u2019s push to the College Football Playoff was the highlight of last season. Here are five burning…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417337,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[416,3118,3607,23153,11722,75533,154,27,29,28,9816],"class_list":["post-417336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-college-sports","tag-florida","tag-latest-headlines","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-social-sports","tag-sports","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news","tag-ucf-knights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417336\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}