Forgive the fans in Lubbock if they’re all giddy about the prospects of their 2023 Texas Tech Red Raiders. Under first-year head coach Joey McGuire Tech closed last season with four straight wins, eclipsed its projected win total of 5.5 and won eight games overall for the first time in nearly a decade. All that brings hope to a program that’s been good a few times, bad a lot of times and just kind of there. They are one of three current Big 12 teams – excluding the newcomers – who have never played in the conference championship game. That may not change in 2023, but some consider them a sleeper with a bunch of players returning. You can make a wager on TTU’s 7.5 win total at a bitcoin sportsbook.
College Football Season Wins Odds
Regular Season Wins for the Texas Tech Red Raiders
Over 7.5 ( +112 )
Under 7.5 ( -128 )
High school coaches don’t always make a successful leap into the collegiate ranks. McGuire is the exception. Turning Cedar Hill HS into a Texas powerhouse moved McGuire up the ladder landing a gig as an assistant with Baylor before taking over the Red Raiders. His familiarity with the Big 12 and access to top recruits has suddenly made Texas Tech an attractive option. He also did something last year no coach in the program’s history had done: beat Texas and OU in the same season.
Roster
When thinking about Texas Tech offense usually is a hot topic. And that always involves the quarterback. The Red Raiders have had some good ones in recent years with Patrick Mahomes the biggest. Looking to add to the list of accomplished signal-callers is Tyler Shough, who brings continuity to the offense in his third year with the program. What the group needs, though, is consistency. Shough was one of three QBs to throw more than 160 passes last season and despite the revolving door the club was second in the Big 12 averaging 461.4 yards and fourth in scoring with 34.2 points.
There’s no denying Shough’s talent, the problem is he hasn’t been injury-free his entire career. He played seven games last season, matching the most he’s ever played, throwing for 1,304 yards and seven touchdowns. Shough showed what he’s capable of at the end of the season shredding Oklahoma for 436 yards and a pair of scores in Tech’s 51-48 OT win. He finished off the campaign throwing for 242 yards with another 111 yards and two TDs on the ground in the Texas Bowl win over Ole Miss.
The passing game was damn good considering three QBs were a part of it. Tech ranked 12th nationally with an average of 302 yards and returns the top three receivers from a season ago. Jerand Bradley and Myles Price each had 51 grabs while Xavier White totaled 45. In all eight players had more than 20 catches showing just how diverse the aerial attack is. Helping balance the attack is Tahj Brooks, who rushed for a team-high 681 yards in 2022.
In a weird situation the Tech defense lost a lot but they are plenty experienced with six starters back. For the first time in a while it was a solid group leading the Big 12 in sacks and finishing in the top 10 nationally in red zone defense. Replacing Tyree Wilson is a tall task with Jaylon Hutchings becoming the focal point. The line is big and nasty and if all goes well the group could be better than last season.
Schedule
The perceived tougher games on the slate are at home starting with a Week 2 matchup against Oregon. The Red Raiders also host Houston, K-State, TCU and UCF in Big 12 action. A tough stretch of games to close the year starts at Baylor on Oct. 7 and also has Tech visiting BYU before the season finale at Texas.
Prediction
With their talent and experience the Red Raiders can’t be worse than they were in 2022. They are getting some preseason attention for a reason. It would be neat to see the numbers Shough puts up if he stays healthy, though there is a more than qualified backup in Behren Morton. There is a vibe around the team with McGuire bringing in a much needed attitude along with a strong recruiting class. They should win at least eight games, which would put them OVER their projected win total.
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