While the 2025 college football season has come to an end, Pro Football Focus is wasting no time looking ahead to next fall.
They released a way-too-early Top 10 poll for the 2026 season, a group that featured two Big 12 teams: No. 5 Texas Tech and No. 10 BYU.
The inclusion of the Red Raiders should surprise very few folks, as Texas Tech has ramped up its entire program due to an astronomical NIL budget. The group is essentially building the Monstars through the transfer portal cycle, and sooner or later, they’ll get over the hump and have some real postseason success.
The main feature to highlight is Cincinnati transfer Brendan Sorsby, who was reportedly given more than $5 Million to leave Cincinnati for Lubbock. The upgrade at the quarterback position was a must after Behren Morton laid an egg in the College Football Playoff matchup against Oregon.
As for BYU, they’ve built their program the right way under Kalani Sitake and were able to keep him from leaving for Penn State prior to Matt Campbell accepting the job. They also kept star signal caller Bear Bachmeier around after a stellar freshman season that resulted in a 12-2 finish and an 8-1 record in conference play.
The Cougars essentially run it back next fall with the addition of multiple key contributors from the transfer portal and the high school level incoming. That’s a recipe for success if I’ve ever seen one.
Could both teams flame out and struggle in 2026? Sure, but it’s much more likely that they thrive and continue to take steps forward in the rapidly changing Big 12 landscape.
