Texas Tech ranked 17th in first BCS standings

A jump into the Associated Press Top 25 Poll was expected for Texas Tech following a 49-14 thumping of then-No. 5 West Virginia on Saturday in Lubbock.

The Red Raiders catapulted to No. 18 in the AP Poll, stopping just one spot behind the Mountaineers at No. 17. The season's first edition of the BCS standings, however, rated Tech even higher.

Tech debuted at No. 17 in the BCS standings, a system that uses three factors to determine a team's ranking: the Harris Poll, USA Today Coaches Poll and computer rankings.

The Harris Poll rates Tech at No. 21, while the USA Today Coaches Poll places the Red Raiders at No. 20. Tech has several opportunities to make significant progress in the BCS standings, with games at No. 23 TCU, at No. 4 Kansas State and against No. 25 Texas
in Lubbock on tap for the next three weeks, respectively.

Tech ends it regular season with games against Kansas, at Oklahoma State and against Baylor at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. The Red Raiders, sitting on five wins, can become bowl eligible with a win against TCU in Fort Worth on Saturday.

Kickoff for the Red Raiders' game against the Horned Frogs is set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

By Jose Rodriguez — Special to the Star-Telegram