The new season of college football is nearly upon us, and while Arizona State is seeking to repeat as Big 12 champions, the rest of the conference will have something to say about that. In anticipation of the new season, we're breaking down each of the 15 other schools and where they stand heading into the year. You can find previously released breakdowns below.
Oklahoma State
Houston
BYU
Colorado
Cincinnati
Arizona
West Virginia
Kansas
UCF
TCU
Baylor
Kansas State
Next up is the first Big 12 foe Arizona State ever played as a member of the conference, and one they'll host this year in Tempe, the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
What happened last year
Texas Tech came into the year with arguably the highest expectations of any Big 12 school in 2024. While not the frontrunner in the new-look conference, Red Raiders fans felt like that was the year to make a big jump after two promising seasons under head coach Joey McGuire.
The season started off as rocky as can be. Texas Tech needed overtime to beat FCS Abilene Christian by one point, and the next week they lost by multiple scores on the road against Washington State. They rebounded to win four straight, including their conference opener against the Sun Devils.
Then things fell apart. They lost three of their next four, with a one point win over Iowa State being the only respite from the losing streak, before wins over struggling Oklahoma State and West Virginia capped the season off. Finishing with eight wins wasn't bad, but it certainly fell below the team's potential.
What's new this year
McGuire lost both his coordinators in the offseason. Defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter was let go, and McGuire replaced him with Houston defensive coordinator Shiel Wood, a rising star in the coaching ranks. Offensive coordinator Zach Kittley took the head job at Florida Atlantic, and McGuire poached Mack Leftwich away from the same role at Texas State.
In both cases, McGuire brought in young coaches with strong resumes. Both Leftwich and Wood are likely to be head coaching candidates in a year or two, and the ability to lure them to Lubbock serves as a testament to where this program is.
Similarly, Texas Tech worked the transfer portal over this summer.
The Red Raiders added 21 new players for a transfer class that ranked second in the nation. The class included multiple 4-star players like wide receiver Micah Hudson, edge rushers David Bailey and Romello Height, offensive tackles Howard Sampson and Will Jados, and tight end Terrance Carter Jr.
Texas Tech also made a spring portal addition in the form of former Colorado center Cash Cleveland, who was named a Freshman All-American this past season. The Red Raiders were not shy about their plan to build around quarterback Behren Morton in his final year of eligibility.
Reasons for optimism
The Red Raiders have felt agonizingly close to being contenders ever since McGuire got to Lubbock. He's the program's first coach since the late Mike Leach to post three consecutive winning seasons, and the talent in each of those seasons has made the end result still feel like a missed opportunity.
Now, Texas Tech is loaded up with weapons on both sides of the ball, along with two of the brightest up-and-coming coordinators in college football. With Morton back in the fold for one more year, this feels like it has to be the year.
The schedule also lines up nicely for them. Their toughest non-conference game is Oregon State, but that's played in Lubbock. Starting conference play in Salt Lake City is rough, as is traveling to Tempe to face Arizona State, but six of their conference games come against teams with a losing record last year, while a home game against BYU doesn't seem as daunting anymore.
Reasons for skepticism
For as close as Texas Tech has come under McGuire, they've also failed to live up to expectations each year. His debut season saw the Red Raiders go 1-4 against ranked teams; the next year they were blown out 57-7 in the regular season finale by Texas; and last year they faltered down the stretch after taking an early lead in the Big 12 standings.
It's also fair to wonder if Texas Tech simply has too much new. How does Morton adjust to Leftwich's offense, and can all these new transfer players gel with their teammates? Building through the portal has worked wonders in the past, but there's far more stories of disaster than success.
Realistic expectations
A healthy dose of skepticism is fair with Texas Tech, but this really does feel like their year.
Morton has gotten better every season in Lubbock, and Leftwich may actually be an upgrade over Kittley. There's also a deep treasure chest of weapons to work with. The Red Raiders were also the only team to beat Arizona State in the regular season when Sam Leavitt played.
In a year where the reigning Big 12 champion seems locked and loaded to repeat, Texas Tech may have the best argument as the team most equipped to stand in their way.