Whitaker Signs Contract Extension. Texas Tech announced yesterday that Lady Raider head coach Candi Whitaker has a greed to a contract extension and her contract will run through 2020 for the Lady Raiders. Here’s Coach Whitaker:
“I appreciate the support and commitment Kirby Hocutt and Texas Tech have shown me and the Lady Raider program,” Whitaker said. “There is a process to rebuilding. We are proud of the progress we have shown and are so excited about the future. We have the highest standards and expectations for the program and look forward to competing at the highest level. I am honored to be at Texas Tech and to lead the Lady Raider program.”
Lady Raiders Host Idaho. It’s gong to be a busy day as the Lady Raiders will face Idaho, tonight, tip-off is at 5:30. The Lady Raiders are 5-1 on the year and the Vandals are 7-1.
Duffey to Sign Today. 2016 QB commit Jett Duffey will sign today at 3:00 pm.
https://twitter.com/Jett8Duffey/status/674293337201905664
Texas Monthly on Texas A&M Dodging Texas. Texas Monthly’s Joh Nova Lomax writes about how Texas A&M has essentially all but dodged a former Big 12 opponent for two years in a row, this year it was Texas Tech at the Houston Bowl and last year it was the Longhorns. The Aggies are claiming that they don’t want to play two games in the same city, Houston. The author also believes that this may be the SEC manipulating a favorable opponent for the SEC, which makes a lot of sense.
What Slive didn’t say, but what many believe, is that the SEC uses this system to enhance conference prestige by creating favorable matchups for its teams, or at least for its blue-blood programs. According to this theory, the SEC brass wants its teams first and foremost to win outright, but if there’s a good chance that they might lose, that they do so somewhere the negative effect on recruiting might sting the least. Like, say, Nashville, the capital of a state that produces very few Texas A&M recruits, and relatively few SEC recruits in general.
This isn’t so much Texas A&M being scared of Texas Tech or anything like that, it’s just awfully convenient more than anything else. Maybe you could say that Texas A&M didn’t want the potential of losing a game in their backyard. I think Texas Tech pretty much has nothing to lose here, with either opponent, Texas Tech most likely would have been an underdog. I’d also say that I think that the Texas Bowl passed on West Virginia, which was ahead of Texas Tech in terms of pecking order, with a team with a more regional tie like Texas Tech, but that was the actual bowl making that call and not the conference or the collegiate program.
Big 12 Requires Power Five Opponent. The Big 12 announced yesterday that the all Big 12 teams would be required to schedule at least one non-conference game:
The Big 12 has announced it will require Conference football programs to annually play at least one non-conference game against an autonomy conference institution (ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC, plus Notre Dame).
“Schedule strength is a key component in CFP Selection Committee deliberations,” commented Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. “This move will strengthen the resumes for all Big 12 teams. Coupled with the nine-game full round robin Conference schedule our teams play, it will not only benefit the teams at the top of our standings each season, but will impact the overall strength of the Conference.”
West Virginia Considering Whether to Fire Holgo. Well, per the Washington Post, West Virginia is considering firing Dana Holgorsen, the main culprit being a loss to Kansas State at the end of the year. The problem is the buyout, which would be around $15 million.
Thomas Inducted into College Football Hall of Fame. Via the official site, it was officially official yesterday as former Texas Tech footballer Zach Thomas was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame yesterday. LAJ’s Don Williams has some quotes from Thomas on his induction. Here is one, but there’s more there:
“I was a meathead,” Thomas said, “so he called me into his office and said, ‘Hey, Zach,’ after I’d got in trouble. He said, ‘Listen, I know you’re talented and all. Your talent will get you to the top, but your character is what keeps you there.’
“That meant a lot to me, and from that day, it impacted me.”
Loge Seating in North Endzone. LAJ’s Don Williams writes that Texas Tech is ready to go on the North endzone improvements, but Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt wants to make a slight alteration, which is loge seating rather than some other sort of seating. If you are anything like me, you had to look up the word “loge” and it means “a box in a theater” which means that this sounds like an open air sort of space with dividers for each box.