FRISCO — Texas Tech football teams have rarely been viewed as the top dog in a conference, but the Red Raiders won their first Big 12 title last year and a USA TODAY Sports Network panel this week voted Tech the preseason favorite again this year.
“I like it,” linebacker Ben Roberts said. “It’s cool, but we’ve got to continue to remind ourselves that games aren’t won just because people say we’re supposed to win them. We have to actually go out there and win them, so we’ve got to prepare and keep doing what we do best.”
From a 12-2 College Football Playoff team, Tech returns seven offensive players and six defensive players who started six or more games last season. That’s not to mention the Red Raiders’ usual haul of highly regarded acquisitions from the NCAA transfer portal.
Terrance Carter Jr. says he loves being picked at the top.
“All eyes on us, you know what I mean?” the Tech tight end said.
Roberts and Carter made the comments on Tuesday, July 7, during day one of Big 12 media days at The Star.
As uncommon as it is for Texas Tech to achieve top-dog status, doing so with defense leading the way is really something else. The Red Raiders had one of the nation’s best defenses last season, and on Monday, July 6, Roberts and defensive tackle A.J. Holmes Jr. earned preseason Big 12 player of the year recognition, Roberts on the USA TODAY Sports Network’s All-Big 12 team and Holmes on the All-Big 12 team selected by reporters at media days.
And there’s no guarantee one of their teammates won’t win the award.
“I feel like that’s how great players elevate their game, when you have teammates that are good as well,” Holmes said. “Y’all are out there feeding off each other, so it’s going to be a fun year.”
In addition to Holmes and Roberts, edge defender Adam Trick, defensive tackle Mateen Ibirogba, linebacker Austin Romaine — all incoming transfers — and cornerback Brice Pollock gave the Red Raiders six of the 11 defensive spots on the preseason All-Big 12 team the USA TODAY panel selected.
“Yeah, you’ve got some choices,” Roberts said. “I love A.J., and A.J.’s awesome. I would be so happy if he won that, but selfishly, I’d like to win it too.”
Roberts was named most outstanding player of last year’s Big 12 championship game, making two interceptions and a fourth-down pass breakup in a 34-7 conquest of Brigham Young. Holmes, not even a starter the first six weeks of the season, moved into the lineup when Skylar Gill-Howard went down and wound up earning second-team All-America recognition from The Associated Press.
Asked whom they expect to win defensive player of the year come December, wide receiver Coy Eakin said, “They all could be. They’re all great players. I couldn’t really pick if it was between Ben or A.J. or even [Pollock].”
“I’d say Ben or A.J.,” Pollock chimed in. “Hopefully me too. I think it’s all great options.”
“That’s a good problem to have,” Eakin said.
Tech’s storybook 2025 campaign — first 12-win season, first Big 12 championship, first CFP, first Orange Bowl — ended with a thud. Now a 23-0 loss to Oregon on New Year’s Day gives the Red Raiders reason to redeem themselves.
“A lot of the guys that were here, we know the standard,” Carter said, “and we’re just pouring it into the other guys and everybody’s bought in. Everybody knows what we’re chasing. We got cut short last year. We didn’t do what we wanted to, but this year everyone has that same goal and mindset. We’re chasing bigger than just a first-round playoff game.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football players react to being Big 12 favorite again
Reporting by Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal | USA TODAY Network
