Big 12 is on the rise, landing 3 teams in top 15 of AP Top 25 and jockeying for multiple CFP bids - AP News

Texas Tech plays in the Big 12, so any surge from the conference matters here, even when the Red Raiders aren't the headline. The early season has already delivered chaos across the country. Michigan won on a double Hail Mary, and Oregon lost at Oklahoma State. North Carolina State somehow lost a game it had the ball and the lead in with 10 seconds left. Texas jumped Ohio State for the No. 1 spot after a big rally, and that came with an AI-doctored video about the Longhorns coach floating around online.

For folks in Lubbock who follow Big 12 football, a stronger conference means bigger stakes every Saturday. More ranked teams means tougher out-of-conference resumes for the league as a whole. That raises the profile of every game on Tech's schedule, win or lose, because strength of schedule and conference reputation feed straight into playoff conversations.

The Big Ten and SEC still dominate the national conversation, with storylines like Lane Kiffin keeping the spotlight elsewhere. But three top-15 teams out of one conference is a number that turns heads in Lubbock living rooms every fall Saturday.