Texas Tech enters 2026 in a very different place than it used to. The Red Raiders are no longer the team opponents circle as a dangerous trip to Lubbock.
Now they’re the heavyweight on the schedule, the program everybody wants to measure itself against. That shift matters most away from home, where upsets tend to lurk.
Joey McGuire has already shown he can steady Texas Tech on the road. That was not always the case.
In his first three seasons, he dropped ten road games, including four in each of his first two years. Last season, though, Tech went 4-1 away from home, with the only loss coming at Arizona State when Behren Morton was out because of a leg injury.
Over the last two seasons, the Red Raiders are 6-3 on other teams’ campuses.
The schedule also gives Tech a helpful break. The three toughest opponents are expected to be at home, and none of the five road teams the Red Raiders will face are ranked to open the season. Four of them - Oregon State, Colorado, Baylor, and Oklahoma State - are coming off losing seasons in 2025.
Even so, there are a few spots where Tech could get dragged into a street fight. The first one comes on October 24 at Cincinnati.
That trip lost some of its edge when former Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby left the Texas Tech football team earlier this summer. It also means McGuire will be taking Tech to Cincinnati for the first time in program history.
But the Bearcats should still bring plenty of resistance. Nippert Stadium has an underrated home atmosphere, and Cincinnati went 5-2 there last season.
At the same time, the Bearcats did not beat a Big 12 team with a winning record at home last year, and they dropped their final two home games. Even so, the Sorsby situation could give them extra fuel, and Tech will be coming off a home game against Arizona State, one of the conference’s more physical teams. That sets up a tricky spot in the Queen City.
The next real danger zone comes in November, when Texas Tech has back-to-back road games that could shape the season. On November 14, the Red Raiders head to Stillwater, where they have won only twice since 2003.
Oklahoma State has not won a Big 12 game in two years, but plenty of people expect the Cowboys to be more competitive under new head coach Eric Morris, a beloved Texas Tech football alum. Morris has brought in 92 new players this year, and while that kind of overhaul takes time, the Cowboys could be peaking by the time Tech arrives at Boone-Pickens Stadium.
One week later, Tech goes to Waco to face Baylor, McGuire’s former employer. Most of the people he was close to from that time are gone now, but the matchup still carries weight for him.
It has also been a strange series for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech is 1-2 against Baylor under McGuire, and both losses came in Lubbock.
The one time McGuire has coached in Waco as an opponent, Tech rolled to a 39-14 win in 2023. If that version shows up again, the Red Raiders should be fine.
Baylor, though, can be volatile. If the Bears stumble early, Dave Aranda may not be around by the time Tech arrives.
Oddsmakers have him listed among the head coaches least likely to survive the season.
If Aranda is still there and Baylor has found its footing, that trip could become a real problem. If not, Tech may have a much easier night in central Texas. Either way, the Red Raiders look likely to run into at least one road game where they have to scrap for everything they get.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Defense Faces An Early Test In The Opener
Texas Techs defense will enter the season opener with at least one notable absence after Joey McGuire said starting edge rusher Trey White will miss the game against Abilene Christian because of a knee injury. It is not a season-ending issue, but it does trim some of the edge rushing experience the Red Raiders expected to have on hand when the year kicks off.
Still, the early concern around White comes with some built-in reassurance for Tech. The Red Raiders are otherwise expected to be healthy, and there is depth behind him with true freshman LaDamion Guyton and senior transfer Jamond Mathis both positioned to help cover snaps while White works his way back. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Defense Still Has Key Starting Spots Up For Grabs
With Texas Tech set to open against Abilene Christian, the next item on the programs checklist is the official two-deep, and the defense still has a few spots to sort through before the first snap. The staff has already spent the preseason weighing personnel, tracking injuries and watching player development, with the positional picture mostly coming into focus even if the final pecking order is not yet locked in.
Several veteran pieces appear positioned for prominent roles, but the last details on who starts where and how much each defender will play remain unsettled. That uncertainty is part of the intrigue heading into the opener, since the Red Raiders have enough known contributors to feel comfortable and enough competition left at multiple spots to make the depth chart worth watching when it finally drops. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Opener Feels More Complicated Than A Typical Week 1 Tune-Up
Texas Techs opener against Abilene Christian comes with a little more uncertainty than the usual Week 1 tune-up. Both rosters have changed a lot since the teams met in 2024, which makes film study less straightforward, and Joey McGuire and defensive coordinator Shiel Wood have both pointed to the challenge of getting a clean read on what the Wildcats will actually look like this time around.
Abilene Christian has already been on the field once this season, and its offensive staff gives this matchup an especially familiar feel for Tech fans. Keith Pattersons team is being steered by Graham Harrell, the Texas Tech Hall of Famer who now runs the Wildcats offense, adding a layer of history to a game that already asks the Red Raiders to sort through a new cast of players on both sides. [Read more 🡒]