Texas Tech stuns Iowa State, upends Big 12 and College Football Playoff race
Welcome to the Big 12, where point spreads are merely a suggestion.
Texas Tech entered Saturday's game at Iowa State as one of the biggest Power 4 college football underdogs in the country — a whopping 13.5 points.
Final score: Texas Tech 23, Iowa State 22. Tahj Brooks scored the game-winning touchdown for the Red Raiders on a 5-yard run with 20 seconds left in the game.
The Red Raiders' stunning victory likely puts an end to Iowa State's at-large College Football Playoff hopes and opens the door for Colorado, Kansas State, Arizona State and others to earn a berth in the Big 12 football championship game.
No. 11 Iowa State (7-1, 4-1) still sits in a good position in the Big 12 standings, tied with Kansas State and Colorado for second place behind unbeaten BYU (8-0, 5-0). Texas Tech (6-3, 4-2) is one of five two-loss teams that now has a path to the Big 12 football title game.
Stay tuned, because more upsets could be on the way. Kansas State currently has a narrow 19-17 lead over Houston in the fourth quarter.
The first College Football Playoff rankings come out on Tuesday, and Iowa State was widely predicted to be in the 12-team field. Now the Cyclones will likely need to win the Big 12 championship to earn a berth in the CFP.
The top five ranked conference champions will automatically earn berths in the CFP, with the top four receiving first-round byes. The next seven teams in the rankings will be added to the bracket as at-large teams.
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.