Texas Tech Is College Football's Next Powerhouse in the Making

As the saying goes, money won't solve all of your problems. All things considered, there's plenty of truth in these words. In college football in the year 2025, however, those with a lot of cash at their disposal might argue otherwise.

Enter Texas Tech, a program that suddenly deserves your utmost attention. It's a program committed to spending more than just about anyone, and the results appear to be coming sooner than anticipated.

In the immediate future, the Red Raiders are a threat to win the Big 12 and a viable candidate to make the College Football Playoff. Given what we witnessed on Saturday against Utah, playing on the road in one of the sport's most difficult environments, this really isn't up for debate.

Texas Tech cruised to a 34-10 win, and it did so despite dealing with an avalanche of issues. The team's starting QB, Behren Morton, was knocked out of the game early on after turning the ball over twice. In terms of penalties, the Red Raiders racked up plenty. Texas Tech was flagged a staggering 14 times, resulting in 122 penalty yards.

Despite the mess, Texas Tech rolled. And the ingredients are not exactly a mystery.

Will Hammond, the team's backup QB and highly coveted recruit in the class of 2024, played a brilliant game. In fact, he played so well that the coaching staff might have to find more ways to get him on the field moving forward.

But the star of the show was the Texas Tech defense, and that's where money comes back into the picture.

Statically, the Red Raiders allowed just 263 yards and forced four turnovers. But in terms of presence, this group looked like one of the best units in all of college football.

If you're wondering how Texas Tech assembled one of the best defenses in the sport, you're not alone. Over the offseason, Texas Tech reportedly spent at least a cool $28 million on its roster. This, according to On3's Pete Nakos, was second to only Texas in terms of national spending.

David Bailey, formerly of Stanford, was unquestionably the biggest addition for the defense. Although he wasn't alone. Texas Tech put an emphasis on improving both its offensive and defensive lines, while adding to other positions as well.

With an experienced quarterback returning, Texas Tech chose to spend nearly $30 million around him.

The next few months will tell us exactly what this spending spree turns into, although the early signs are overwhelmingly positive. Given the volatility with some of the expected favorites at the top of the Big 12, Texas Tech has made a compelling case to be the favorite to win the conference.

In some respects, however, Saturday's win seems almost more significant.

Make no mistake about it, a College Football Playoff appearance would be an enormous lift for a program that hasn't won nine games since 2009, when the late Mike Leach lifted this group to unexpected heights.

If the financial commitment is to continue—and all signs point to this being the case—Texas Tech could soon become a dominant team within its conference and a viable, regular national title threat.

Presently, the Red Raiders have the No. 22 ranked recruit class for the 2026 cycle. This includes the commitment from 5-star offensive lineman Felix Ojo, the No. 6 ranked player nationally and the No. 1 lineman in the country.

In many respects, Ojo symbolizes the next chapter of Texas Tech's plan for national excellence—a blend of recruiting and transfer portal management that is made possible through NIL and revenue sharing.

This, more specifically, is made possible by Cody Campbell, a former Texas Tech football player who has since become a billionaire. Campbell has become an integral fundraising piece for the Red Raiders at a time when schools are tapping into their richest donors more than ever before.

That's the strategy at present. The games themselves are, obviously, the elements that mean the most. It's how we grade success and failure. But Texas Tech has become an offseason juggernaut, and the impact of the strategy, commitment and, of course, all that money are starting to pay off.

Time will tell what this roster is capable of in 2025 and 2026. With plenty of football still to be played, the Red Raiders are in a position to both reach and exceed the booming expectations that are suddenly being attached to the program. A trip to the playoff feels a lot clearer than it once did.

Perhaps more interesting and meaningful, however, is how this progress and continued investment could propel this program into the stratosphere meant for the elite, a movement that could be both sustainable and meaningful.

No, money won't solve all of Texas Tech's problems, but it appears to be doing plenty already and the potential for even more is suddenly very real.