No. 11 Texas Tech is 3-0 for the second straight season, something the Red Raiders haven't done since a three-season run 13 years ago.
This season has a different vibe than last year's run to the College Football Playoff.
“We don't look the same, but we're 3-0,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said.
Last season, the Red Raiders dominated behind one of the nation's best defenses, winning their first six games by at least 24 points, then six more by at least 22
points following a loss at Arizona State. Texas Tech ended up winning the Big 12 championship and went to the CFP for the first time.
This year's start has been a bit more of a grind, in part because the Red Raiders had a school-record nine players drafted in the NFL, including six on defense. They also went through an offseason drama with transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who eventually gave up his eligibility fight.
Texas Tech had trouble finishing drives in an opening win against Abilene Christian of the Football Championship Subdivision and was losing on the road against Oregon State before rallying for a 35-24 win.
The Red Raiders stretched their home winning streak to 10 games with a Big 12-opening 28-26 win over No. 25 Houston, but gave up a touchdown in the final minute and had to stop the Cougars on a potential tying 2-point conversion.
"Just because you had an awesome season last year, that’s supposed to be the same, but we’re still working and getting better every day," Texas Tech defensive tackle A.J. Holmes said. “So just because it’s starting off a little rocky, don’t mean it’s going to end that way.”
Texas Tech's start has it tied atop the Big 12 standings with five other teams at 3-0 and every school in the league except Kansas (1-2) has a winning record.
That would seemingly set up a season of parity, but not every winning team (so far) is created equal.
No. 9 BYU (3-0, 1-0 Big 12) has been solid to start the season behind a stingy defense and the running of LJ Martin.
Martin's return with quarterback Bear Bachmeier gave the Cougars one of the best 1-2 punches in the Big 12 and they've lived up to the billing. Martin is averaging 109.3 yards per game and has scored three touchdowns. Bachmeier has throw for 642 yards and six TDs with one interception.
BYU is 3-0 for the fourth straight season.
No. 15 Utah (3-0) swept its nonconference schedule for the fourth straight season by outscoring opponents 142-24, but hasn't exactly faced the stiffest competition. The Utes blew out Idaho in Morgan Scalley's first game as coach, beat Arkansas by 33 and crushed Utah State last week.
Utah gets its first big test of the season on Saturday against Iowa State, which has a pair of lopsided wins sandwiched around a three-point loss to rival No. 17 Iowa.
Kansas State (3-0) opened the season with two convincing wins, but had a hard time shaking Tulane in a 31-20 victory last week. The Wildcats will face another undefeated team on Saturday in Cincinnati, which had its own share of problems last week, rallying from a 21-point halftime deficit to beat Miami (Ohio) 35-31.
Houston (2-1, 0-1) had some defensive issues — 376 yards passing — in an opening win against Oregon State, but rallied late against Texas Tech before falling just short on the failed 2-point conversion.
Keep an eye on West Virginia.
Coach Rich Rodriguez led the Mountaineers to a 4-8 season in his return to his his alma mater, but has them playing hard-nosed football in his second season.
West Virginia is 3-0 for the first time since 2018 after picking up a marquee win against then-No. 25 Virginia. The Mountaineers next host an enigmatic Oklahoma State team that lost to Tulsa but had the biggest upset of the season so far, knocking off then-No. 6 Oregon to end a 21-game losing streak against FBS opponents.
Arizona and Arizona State are both 2-1, but both failed in their biggest games on the schedule so far; the Wildcats to BYU and the Sun Devils to No. 23 Texas A&M.
The Big 12 hierarchy also will shake out a little more with Colorado (2-1), which was blown out by Northwestern, playing at Baylor (2-1) and TCU (2-1) playing at UCF (2-1).
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AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.
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