It’s game week. There were years where I never thought that I’d make it though a summer and coming up with content was always difficult, but I don’t feel that way any more. Maybe I don’t feel the pressure of creating something as much as I did. Regardless, we are here and I’m excited to start another season.

I wanted to go over my reasons for optimism and pessimism below, I thought that would be a decent way to look at the season that’s almost here.

STOCK UP:

+ I don’t think that Texas Tech has an impossibly difficult schedule. I’ve looked at a few items and Texas Tech’s strength of schedule is anywhere in the 40’s and I think that’s fair. There is no Kansas State, Kansas or Utah on the schedule and they are all picked in the top third of the Big 12. I think that’s a pretty big advantage. That’s not to say that the schedule is easy, but it is definitely manageable.

+ When Joey McGuire talked about going to Detroit to find out what Dan Campbell does after a season and how he goes about winning, maybe the biggest takeaway was that Campbell makes the staff go over every game. Win or lose, they look at what they did well and what needed improvement. Going back over things can be a pretty painful process especially when the losses are obvious. Interceptions, turnovers, bad calls. But I think there is benefit to trying to figure out why those things happen and knowing why can make you improve. I’m hoping that they took this to heart and taking the time to figure it out is a good thing for me.

+ Continuity in the coaching staff is a huge thing, especially on the defensive end of things. My guess is that the defense will benefit greatly from having Tim DeRuyter for year number 3 especially with young players, the benefit is that they’ve grown up in this system. That’s huge. And The same thing for offense, but the transfers make this less true. I think consistency is key in football and this program has had it.

+ There’s a lot of high-end skill on offense. There’s so much that I just don’t remember the offense being as loaded as they seem right now. I don’t need to tell you who it is, but I feel really good about this (as long as everyone stays healthy).

STOCK DOWN:

– I am a nervous about the lines. I’m not too keen on there not having been anyone that has taken the offensive line spots and the fact that they haven’t decided on a position for Caleb Rogers as late as last week. I get that he’s talented and I appreciate cross-training along the line, but I wanted there to be 5 guys that stood up and took spots. Maybe this is Clay McGuire pushing these guys a bit right up until the season starts, but I wanted a bit more clarity. On defense, this truly seems like a true rotation and I think I could make the same argument about the offensive line, but maybe this feels a bit more intentional about playing a rotation. I still pause until I can see it for myself.

– I don’t want the offense to fall into the same situation last year where it went conservative and I think that Tahj Brooks is a fantastic running back, but the offense will hum if the ball is vertical. I think this was McGuire’s call (this is total speculation on my part) or at least McGuire seeing that Strong wasn’t ready to carry the load and they had to find a better way. Kittley was resourceful and I know that a lot of you soured on the offense last year, but I think the staff felt like this was out of necessity and I understand that.

That’s it. That’s all I’m really worried about other than some minor things with the defensive backs, but I think there is good talent there so I’m not that concerned.

BIG 12 PUZZLE: I won’t have time work through the entire Big 12 schedule each week, so this will just be an opportunity to work though some interesting games and results.

• There are 3 Big 12 teams in action on Thursday night, the most interesting is North Dakota State @ Colorado and this will tell us a ton about Colorado. Colorado is favorited by 9.5 but ain’t no way I’d take that line and maybe I’m a fool for not believing in Deion. The rest of the games are first game fluff.
• On Friday, TCU takes on Stanford in Palo Alto with TCU a 9 point favorite. A very traditional Big 12 and ACC matchup.
• On Saturday the biggest game is Penn State @ West Virginia and this will be a big one. Penn State is favored by 8.5, which seems like a lot and I would love to stick it to the Big Ten any chance I get.

NEWS:

Texas Tech released the depth chart and if you have been paying attention, it’s pretty much what McGuire has said through the preseason practice.

The Week 1 depth chart courtesy of @JoeyMcGuireTTU 👇 pic.twitter.com/BrweNXGnMX

— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) August 26, 2024

The Brand episode 4 focuses on the Masked Rider, the band, the pom-squad, and cheer, which I appreciate. Having a band kid with Fitsum, the hours they put in during the summer rivals and maybe exceeds what the football team does. They put in a ton of work. And I am sure that the Masked Rider, pom and cheer do the same (not trying to leave them out for sure).

A few behind-the-scenes items from Patrick Mahomes’ visit, his talk to the team, which I thought was really good and showed it to both of my boys about being all-in with whatever it is that they do.

More to come 🔜⏰@PatrickMahomes @TexasTechFB pic.twitter.com/06KhkDvcrV

— adidas Football US (@adidasFballUS) August 25, 2024

CBS Sports has their Big 12 preview, from most overrated to underrated and Jerry Palm thinks that Texas Tech is underrated:

Texas Tech: Nobody has talked much about Texas Tech since Kliff Kingsbury left in 2019. But, to be fair, the Red Raiders struggled under Matt Wells. However, Joey McGuire has come in and posted back-to-back winning seasons and things are going back in the right direction. With the schedule they have in 2024, eight or even nine wins is possible. Maybe a nine-win season would get people to take notice. — Palm

The consensus seems to be that Texas Tech is the 8 or 9 area in terms of predicted finish.

ESPN’s David Hale ranks all 134 teams in tiers and has Texas Tech in Tier 7, which is “Upgraded from stable to frisky” and includes Louisville, Kansas, Syracuse, West Virginia, and UCF.

Texas Tech, Kansas and West Virginia are all in the mix in a chaotic Big 12, but all come with their share of questions, too.

Someone from this group is about to take a big step forward, and perhaps capture a playoff bid — it’s just hard to pinpoint exactly which team it’ll be. But that’s the fun of August. Hope is endless. (And it’s the hope that kills you.)

Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported that UConn and the Big 12 are in serious talks:

In a marriage that could bring together arguably the country’s strongest basketball conference and perhaps the nation’s best hoops program, UConn officials visited with Big 12 athletic administrators in Dallas last week. Though nothing is imminent, the in-person presentation is a sign of the serious nature of the discussions.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is set to make a similar presentation to the league’s presidents next week. Expansion requires a three-fourths vote, or 12 of the 16 members.

In the latest version of the deal, UConn would join the conference as a member in all sports except football starting, at latest, in 2026. Contingent upon the school meeting certain investment thresholds in the sport, UConn football would join the Big 12 in 2031.

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams writes about what is known and to be determined about special teams. Here’s a bit on the returners:

To be determined: Who winds up getting the most punt-return duty. McGuire said after spring ball he wanted to see McCray seize the job because of the speed and explosiveness he shows returning kickoffs. About 10 days out from the season opener, though, the Tech coach sounded more confident in Kelly after watching him catch punts more smoothly in practice. Interestingly enough, Kelly never returned a punt in a game in his four years at Fresno State and one at Washington State. Don’t be surprised either if Hudson or Brown get a chance to return punts.