Texas Tech had a month packed with headlines, and the Red Raiders’ social media footprint told the story from just about every angle.
The biggest personnel news came on the basketball side, where Aaron Britt, the No. 49 ranked player in the SC Next 100 for the Class of 2027, committed to Texas Tech, he tells ESPN’s @PaulBiancardi.
Around that, the program’s online chatter kept circling back to the Red Raiders’ look and their profile. One post simply declared, “Best colors in the game 😮💨” while another noted that Texas Tech’s uniforms remain one of the more popular sets in college football, especially with younger fans.
The reaction fit the moment: “Statement made. #WreckEm | @wellpoint” followed another nod to the branding.
On the field, Texas Tech soccer kept stacking results. The Red Raiders moved through non-conference and early Big 12 play without a loss, going 5-0-4 through late September.
Senior goalkeeper Addie Todd and a back line boosted by transfer Emma Fassora helped fuel four shutouts in the first 10 matches, including wins over Hawaii (1-0), Boise State (2-0), and Kent State (3-0), plus a scoreless draw with Seattle. Conference play started well too, with a 2-0 win over Cincinnati and a 3-1 victory over No.
13 Colorado. Texas Tech also earned road draws at SMU, 1-1, and at No.
25 UCF, 2-2.
The Big 12 schedule release added another layer to the month. Texas Tech opens conference play on the road against Cincinnati on Jan. 2, marking the first time the Red Raiders have opened Big 12 play away from home in three seasons.
Home dates include Baylor on Jan. 6, Iowa State on Jan.
16, Arizona on Jan. 22, and BYU in the regular-season finale on March 5. The home rematch with Houston on Monday, Feb. 15, was selected for national broadcast on ESPN’s Big Monday.
Volleyball has been part of the mix too. Texas Tech’s team has eight wins this season and is set to face West Virginia on Friday.
The men’s golf program is carrying serious momentum as well. Texas Tech will head into Monday’s Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational ranked No. 5 in the Sept. 25 edition of the Golf Coaches Association poll.
Football has produced its own share of attention. Texas Tech’s thrilling win over Houston on FOX COLLEGE FOOTBALL FRIDAY drew 3,028,000 viewers, peaking at 4.074 million.
The game also averaged 2.575 million viewers on FOX’s Friday night college football window, up 11% from last year’s Friday night average. Some fans were unhappy when the Houston game was placed on a Friday night, given how important high school football is in Texas on Fridays.
The Red Raiders also stretched their home winning streak to 11 games.
One of the most eye-catching moments of the month came in Texas Tech’s 49-14 win over Sam Houston. In the second quarter, linebacker Austin Romaine intercepted back-to-back passes and returned both for touchdowns on consecutive defensive plays.
He became the first player to return interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive defensive snaps at a major college (FBS) since 2013. Both scores came in the first minute of the second quarter and flipped the game into a runaway.
Texas Tech men’s basketball also opened official practice, another sign that a busy season is already rolling along.
The program’s reach isn’t limited to campus, either. Texas Tech had 18 active players on 53-man rosters for this week’s NFL games. The list includes Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Jordyn Brooks of the Miami Dolphins, Terence Steele of the Dallas Cowboys, Tyree Wilson of the Las Vegas Raiders, Broderick Washington Jr. of the Baltimore Ravens, and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson of the Arizona Cardinals.
And beyond athletics, Texas Tech hit a major institutional milestone. For the first time, the university cracked the top 100 among public universities in the U.S.
News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, landing at No. 96 in 2027. The ranking also showed gains in value and veteran categories.
Texas Tech’s rise reflects growth in research funding, upgraded lab facilities, and high-impact work from faculty and students, while enrollment has continued to set records and reached more than 45,000 to 46,000 students.
In Other News...
Will Hammonds Biggest Problem Could Derail Texas Techs Big 12 Hopes
Will Hammonds first month as Texas Techs starting quarterback has been bumpy in a way that goes beyond the usual growing pains for a young passer. Through four games, he has already thrown five interceptions and lost two fumbles, a turnover pattern that has become hard to ignore as the Red Raiders try to stay in the Big 12 race. The context matters here, too: Hammond is inexperienced and missed spring practice because of injury, so the learning curve has been steeper than usual.
Still, the raw issue is simple enough for Texas Techs staff to see on film. Hammond has the highest interception rate in the conference, and the Red Raiders have recently found themselves on the wrong side of the turnover battle, which is never a great place to be when the schedule tightens. If Texas Tech is going to turn its season into something more than a promising start, keeping Hammond from giving possessions away may end up being just as important as anything the offense does well. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Just Made Colorados Early Big 12 Slide Even Worse
Week 5 in the Big 12 has already sharpened the leagues picture, and Baylors win over Colorado only made the early conference mess feel a little messier. The updated power rankings capture a few teams taking real steps forward, a few others sliding the other way, and the kind of week-to-week volatility that has become part of the leagues rhythm.
Colorados loss to the Bears stands out because it feeds the bigger concern around a team trying to find its footing after a rough start to Big 12 play. For Texas Tech and the rest of the league, it is another reminder that every result is carrying extra weight right now, and the next round of games could shuffle the order again just as quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Faces One Real Upset Threat From Colorado
Colorado is heading into its homecoming game against No. 12 Texas Tech with a little extra pressure after back-to-back losses, and the matchup feels bigger than a typical midseason bounce-back chance. The Buffaloes have gotten encouraging play from wide receivers Joseph Williams and Quanell Farrakhan Jr., giving them some punch on offense even as the quarterback situation remains unsettled and the defense continues to work through injuries.
For Texas Tech, the trip still carries one real upset threat because Colorados linebackers will be asked to handle the Red Raiders running game and keep the game from tilting into a track meet. If Colorado can hold up in that part of the field, the rest of the afternoon becomes much more interesting for a Texas Tech team trying to avoid getting pulled into a tighter fight than the ranking suggests. [Read more 🡒]