The middle of the 2026 season has arrived, and the Big 12 is loaded with games that can change the temperature around a few head coaches. There’s a Top 25 matchup on the board, two rivalry games, and even a Top 10 meeting between Notre Dame and BYU. That makes this the kind of week where the conversation shifts fast - and where a few sidelines start feeling a little less comfortable.
Sonny Dykes is back after the bye week, but the break didn’t exactly wipe the slate clean in Fort Worth. TCU gets Baylor this Saturday in The Revivalry, and that alone gives Dykes a real chance to steady things, at least a little. Winning is the quickest way to cool off any talk, and this is the kind of game that can change the mood in a hurry.
The challenge is that Baylor is rolling into town in much better shape. The Bears are unbeaten in Big 12 play, and there’s a path for them to stir up the conference title race if the right dominoes fall.
A loss to TCU is not what Baylor wants hanging around this week. At the same time, rivalry games have a way of pulling something extra out of the team that’s been struggling, and that could be TCU’s best hope.
If Dykes can’t get the Horned Frogs moving in the right direction after the start they’ve had in league play, the heat is only going to keep building.
Deion Sanders is dealing with a different kind of noise, and it’s followed Colorado into another important week. The headline issue this time was the much-discussed set of play sheets reportedly found in a hotel bar before the Buffaloes faced Texas Tech. Sanders addressed it directly and made clear that it was not a playbook.
Among his comments:
“I don’t think we have a whole playbook.”
“Why would we [look into it]? It’s over.”
“We probably know a lot more than you think we do.”
“That happens sometimes.”
“We scored on the first drive, so I guess it didn’t work.”
Colorado lost that game 29-7, which makes the whole conversation harder to shake. Now the Buffs have Utah ahead, and a loss would mean four straight.
That’s where the questions start getting louder, especially for new athletic director Fernando Lovo. The bigger worry is not just that the play sheets ended up in a bar, but that Colorado may not even have a full playbook to lose.
Joey McGuire lands on the hot seat list for a different reason, and the situation at Texas Tech is less about job security than pressure and momentum. McGuire isn’t going anywhere. The Red Raiders just had a bye week, and he and his staff had two full weeks to clean up the offensive issues that have been bothering them.
That pause came at a useful time, but it also sharpens the focus on what comes next. Arizona, Oklahoma State and Baylor are all looming, and every week Texas Tech stays undefeated, the target gets bigger. The Red Raiders have handled that well so far, but maintaining that edge week after week is its own challenge.
And there’s a little extra heat attached to this one because of what happened last season. Texas Tech went 8-1 in league play last year, and the team that beat them was Arizona State.
That’s the kind of memory that sticks around, even when the bigger goal is still in front of you. So yes, the pressure is real - just make sure revenge doesn’t knock the Red Raiders off course.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Homecoming Just Added A Powerful Pregame Moment
Texas Techs homecoming weekend already had the usual crowd energy and pageantry, but Saturdays football game against Arizona State will carry an added layer of meaning before kickoff. Four Red Raider alumni who now serve in the Texas Army National Guards 36th Combat Aviation Brigade are set to take part in a flyover at Galaxy Stadium, giving the afternoon a hometown connection that fits a day built around tradition and pride.
The pregame moment will include two Chinook helicopters and two Blackhawks, and the weekends recognition wont stay limited to the stadium. The brigades visit also includes stops at UMC Childrens Hospital to spend time with pediatric patients, adding a community element to a sold-out 2:30 p.m. kickoff that already had plenty of attention on its own. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Techs Season Outlook May Hinge On One Donovan Atwell Fight
A Lubbock judges temporary injunction has given Texas Tech guard Donovan Atwell a chance to keep playing at the collegiate level, at least for now, while his eligibility fight with the NCAA works its way through the courts. Atwell is one of several players from the 2022 recruiting class pushing for a fifth season under the new five-for-five rule, a legal wrinkle that has turned the Red Raiders offseason into more than just a roster-building exercise.
The broader picture in Lubbock is just as unsettled. Texas Tech has other players caught in similar battles, including Darrion Williams and Jamichael Stillwell, with some already protected by temporary injunctions and others still waiting on further hearings. For a program trying to map out its lineup and rotation, the uncertainty around those cases could shape far more than one players status. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona State Now Has One More Texas Tech Threat To Worry About
Texas Tech got a significant boost this week when quarterback Thomas Castellanos was granted an injunction by a Jefferson Circuit Court judge, restoring his eligibility to play. The ruling comes after a Kentucky judge dissolved a previous temporary restraining order that had left him unavailable, clearing the way for him to rejoin the lineup as the Red Raiders turn their attention to Arizona State.
For a Texas Tech offense preparing for one of its more important games, having Castellanos back in the mix changes the picture immediately. Arizona State now has one more threat to account for, and Texas Tech can head into the matchup with its quarterback situation no longer hanging in legal limbo. [Read more 🡒]