Can Texas Tech Football succeed despite a tame schedule? A look at the individual games
Joey McGuire recaps Texas Tech football’s first practice game
Joey McGuire recaps the Texas Tech football team’s first practice game of preseason camp for the 2024 season.
The Texas Tech football team failed to live up to expectations last year, needing a win in the Independence Bowl to reach 7-6. The Red Raiders had been rated with higher optimism entering the 2023 season than they had been in more than a decade, both inside and outside the program.
This year? Expectations are low, but seven of Tech’s first eight opponents had a losing record last season. Even though Tech was ranked ninth in the Big 12, the schedule is favorable enough that the Red Raiders could easily do better than last season.
Will they? Let’s take a look.
31 August: Abilene Christian
Last year: Did not play. Abilene Christian finished 5-6, 3-3 in United Athletic Conference play.
The buzz: Former Texas Tech defensive coordinator Keith Patterson returns to Lubbock as head coach at ACU, where he has a 12-10 record in two seasons, along with several Wildcats staff members and seven former Red Raiders players, including quarterback Maverick McIvor and wide receivers Trey Cleveland and Nehemiah Martinez.
The selection: Texas Tech 44, Abilene Christian 14
Related: Patterson is motivated to lead ACU
Related: He doesn’t stop: Martinez continues to climb the career ladder to make an impression at Tech
7 September: in Washington State
Last year: Did not play. Washington State went 5-7, 2-7 in Pac-12 play.
The buzz: Week 2 was supposed to be an away game at Oregon. Instead, Texas Tech helped Oregon and Oregon State, no longer Pac-12 rivals, continue their series as non-conference opponents. Playing Washington State instead, trading the team that finished second in the Pac-12 last year for a team that finished eighth, probably isn’t the worst thing.
The selection: Texas Tech 34, Washington State 31
Related: About the 2024 schedule proposal | Texas Tech football questions and answers
14 September: North Texas
Last year: Did not play. North Texas finished 5-7, 3-5 in the American Athletic Conference.
The buzz: UNT has given Tech plenty of trouble in the past, but the Mean Green have struggled under second-year coach Eric Morris, the former Red Raiders receiver. A terrible defense conceded 35 points at least eight times last season. Things got even worse in the offseason when UNT’s best weapons left the transfer portal: 3,000-yard passer Chandler Rogers to California, 1,000-yard receiver Jay Maclin to Kentucky and 1,000-yard rusher Ayo Adeyi to James Madison.
The selection: Texas Tech 48, North Texas 12
Related: Texas Tech Football’s Big 12 schedule begins with a rarity for the Red Raiders
21 September: State of Arizona
Last year: Did not play. Arizona State finished 3-9, 2-7 in the Pac-12.
The buzz: What better way to start Big 12 play than with home games against the teams that finished last (ASU) and third from last (Cincinnati) in a 16-team conference? The Sun Devils, bolstered by new additions from the transfer portal, are trying to turn things around quickly under second-year coach Kenny Dillingham, but it was necessary. Last year they averaged fewer than 18 points per game and were uncompetitive in losses to Fresno State, Utah, Oregon and Arizona.
The selection: Texas Tech 34, Arizona State 24
28 September: Cincinnati
Last year: Did not play. Cincinnati finished 3-9, 1-8 in Big 12 play.
The buzz: The Big 12 had eight 1,000-yard runners last season, six are returning and two are Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks and Cincinnati’s Corey Kiner. Kiner benefits from the return of his starting offensive line, including All-American guard Luke Kandra and new quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who was a part-time starter for Indiana last year as a redshirt freshman.
The selection: Texas Tech 29, Cincinnati 20
October 5: in Arizona
Last year: Did not play. Arizona finished 10-3, 7-2 in the Pac-12.
The buzz: So much for the smorgasbord of easy opponents. Arizona came into the Big 12 with credibility after a breakout season in 2023 that ended with a 38-24 win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. Coach Jedd Fisch left for Washington, so new coach Brent Brennan will have to prove himself. The Wildcats, however, have some of the best talent in the Big 12 in quarterback Noah Fifita, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, linebacker Jacob Manu and cornerback Tacario Davis.
The selection: Arizona 40, Texas Tech 28
October 19: Baylor
Last year: Texas Tech won 39-14. Baylor finished 3-9, 2-7 in the Big 12.
The buzz: Tech coach Joey McGuire has a fondness for Baylor, the program that paved his way into college coaching from 2017-21. But struggling players show no mercy. The Bears are that, having lost 13 of 16 games since 2022, and Dave Aranda is at the top of the coaching hot seat lists.
The selection: Texas Tech 37, Baylor 20
October 26: at TCU
Last year: Texas Tech won 35-28. TCU finished 5-7, 3-6 in the Big 12.
The buzz: TCU had beaten Tech four games in a row and five of six before the Red Raiders turned the tables in Lubbock last year. Now the Red Raiders must show they are a different team than the one that went 3-8 on the road the last two years under Joey McGuire. McGuire visited Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell this offseason for advice on how to improve.
The selection: Texas Tech 31, TCU 27
Related: What Joey McGuire is taking over from Dan Campbell in preparation for the season training
2 November: at Iowa State
Last year: Did not play. Iowa State finished 7-6, 6-3 in Big 12 play.
The buzz: Tech needs to have a lot of wins under its belt before the calendar turns to November. Three of its last four regular-season opponents have had a winning streak in the past, and the Red Raiders play two on the road. Late-season road games against Iowa State are often challenging. The Cyclones overwhelmed a Patrick Mahomes team 66-10 in 2016, and Tech pulled out a 14-10 win two years ago at Jack Trice Stadium when it was 11 degrees at the end of the game.
The selection: Iowa State 34, Texas Tech 30
Related: Deion Sanders’ Colorado team on Texas Tech football team’s 2024 home schedule
9 November: Colorado
Last year: Did not play. Colorado finished 4-8, 1-8 in Pac-12 play.
The buzz: Colorado’s first trip to Lubbock since 2007 will come with Deion Sanders as the Buffaloes’ coach, which could boost ticket sales. The Buffaloes have been erratic in their first year under Sanders in 2023, winning their first three games, getting into the rankings, and then losing eight of their last nine games. However, they have some future NFL talent, including quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and have lost many close games to good teams.
The selection: Texas Tech 45, Colorado 38
23 November: at Oklahoma State
Last year: Did not play. Oklahoma State went 10-4, 7-2 in Big 12 play.
The buzz: A lot has changed in the Big 12, but a game between Texas Tech and Oklahoma State feels just like that. In a series once dominated by Tech, the Red Raiders must bounce back after losing three straight games and 12 of 14. That’s far from a given considering the Cowboys are a top-20 team and projected to finish third in the Big 12.
The selection: Oklahoma State 41, Texas Tech 34
30 November: West Virginia
Last year: West Virginia won 20-13. West Virginia has a record of 9-4 and 6-3 in the Big 12.
The buzz: The Mountaineers’ win in Morgantown last year ended the Red Raiders’ four-game winning streak in the series. WVU finished the season 9-4 and returns a relatively experienced team. Quarterback Garrett Greene and running backs Jahiem White and CJ Donaldson combined for 2,412 rushing yards — nearly 800 yards each — and 28 touchdowns on the ground. Could Tech go undefeated at home for the first time since 2008?
The selection: West Virginia 31, Texas Tech 28
