Texas Tech heads into Week 5 still unbeaten, but the Red Raiders haven’t exactly looked like the runaway Big 12 favorite plenty expected before the season. Even so, the No. 12 team in the country is 4-0, and that perfect record gets tested on the road against Colorado, which comes in at 2-2.
The biggest question for Texas Tech is whether Will Hammond can clean up the mistakes that have followed him early on. He has completed 69% of his passes and is averaging 8.3 yards per throw, but the touchdown-to-interception ratio has been rough: four scores and five picks. That production has come against much weaker competition, and the Red Raiders know that kind of turnover problem won’t hold up if they want to stay in the Big 12 race.
Colorado, though, is not a team worth backing in this matchup either. The Buffaloes rank 79th in adjusted net EPA per play and sit at -3.3% in net success rate. Their 41-7 loss to Northwestern only sharpened the concern, and now they’re facing a Texas Tech team that looks clearly stronger even when it isn’t firing on all cylinders.
There’s at least a reason to think the Red Raiders are moving in the right direction. Last week’s near-perfect showing against Sam Houston State suggested some of the early issues can be ironed out.
Texas Tech is currently 17th in the nation in net adjusted EPA per play, and that’s enough to make the Red Raiders the side to trust here. The pick is Texas Tech to lay the points.
In Other News...
Colorado Faces A Brutal Test Amid A Growing QB Dilemma
Texas Tech heads into its trip to Colorado with a different kind of road confidence than it has carried in recent seasons. Under Joey McGuire, the Red Raiders have won seven of their last eight road games, a stretch that includes a recent victory at Oregon State and offers a sharper picture of a team that has grown more comfortable away from home.
Colorado presents a tricky next step, not just because of the setting but because Deion Sanders is managing a roster hit by injuries and ongoing uncertainty at quarterback. Both coaches have already addressed where their teams stand, and the matchup now looks less like a routine conference date and more like a test of which side can handle the noise, absorb the questions and still execute when it matters. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Faces A Colorado Test That Will Say Plenty
Texas Tech heads into its meeting with Colorado with a clear list of areas that need cleaning up, and most of them start on offense. The Red Raiders have been looking for a sharper, more efficient rhythm, and that means taking better care of the football, cutting down on penalties and finding a way to make the ground game a more reliable part of the attack. Up front, the offensive line will be under a bright light as well, since discipline and consistency there can shape everything else the offense tries to do.
The challenge does not stop when Texas Tech has the ball, either. Colorado presents a test that will also ask the Red Raiders' defense to generate more pressure on the quarterback and keep explosive plays from breaking the game open. With season goals still very much in play, this is the kind of matchup that can say a lot about whether Texas Tech is moving toward the version of itself it needs to be, or still searching for it. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Heads Into Brutal Stretch With One Huge QB Question
Colorado is heading into one of the toughest stretches of its schedule still sorting out the most important spot on the field, and wide receiver Joseph Williams says the room is ready for either answer. Williams spoke with reporters about the quarterback competition between Julian Lewis and Isaac Wilson, describing both as capable players with leadership traits that have kept the offense moving through the uncertainty.
What makes the next few weeks so tricky is the caliber of opponent waiting on the other side, with games looming against ranked Texas Tech, Utah and Oklahoma State. Even with the competition unresolved, Williams said the Buffs have confidence in their preparation and in the group they put on the field, which suggests the focus now is less on naming a starter and more on staying steady through a daunting run. [Read more 🡒]