Texas Tech football poll update - fox34.com

The Red Raiders needed the trip to Oregon to stay in the top 15, and it worked. Tech joins three other Big 12 teams in the AP Top 25, with BYU at No. 11, Utah at No. 17, and Houston at No. 22. That's four Big 12 programs ranked in the same week, a sign the conference is having a moment nationally.

Texas took over the top spot in both polls after a comeback win over Ohio State in Austin. Oklahoma State's win over Oregon and Michigan's win over Oklahoma knocked the Ducks and Sooners clean out of the top 15, a reminder of how fast rankings can shift on one bad Saturday.

For Tech fans, the ranking matters beyond bragging rights. The first College Football Playoff rankings drop Tuesday, Nov. 3, and where the Red Raiders sit heading into that reveal could shape how the rest of the season gets talked about around Lubbock. A win in Corvallis kept the momentum alive, but the margin for error stays thin with a playoff committee about to weigh in.

Oregon and Oklahoma dropped out of the top 15 entirely in one week. Tech didn't even play either team.