2019 Texas Tech football home schedule could be worst ever

2005 featured three atrocious non-conference home games

The mid-2000’s was the height of the era when college football teams went out of their way to avoid challenging themselves in the non-conference.  Texas Tech took that to the extreme in 2005.

To open the season, the Red Raiders took on Florida International, Sam Houston State and Indiana State.  The combined scores in those three games was 199-31 with Tech putting up no fewer than 56 points in any of the three games, including 80 against Indiana State.

At this time, Tech was among the throng of schools that felt like it challenging themselves in the non-conference schedule was no longer worth the risk given how teams would be docked for losses in the old BCS system.  In those years, college football teams were more concerned with style points because margin of victory played a major part in the computerized formula that determined the final BCS standings.

What’s more, this was another season in which Tech did not host a ranked team in 2005.  Once again, the Aggies and Sooners were the marquee games but both programs were in the midst of disappointing seasons.

A&M came to town just 5-3 and became the victims of a 56-17 thrashing.  They would finish the year 5-7 overall and 3-5 in conference play.

As for OU, the Sooners arrived at just 6-3 and unranked nationally despite featuring All-American RB Adrian Peterson, who ran for 108 yards and two scores.  In one of the most memorable games of the Leach era, Taurean Henderson scored on the final play of the game to send Tech to a 23-21 win securing the Red Raiders’ trip to the Cotton Bowl.

It was a dramatic ending to a home schedule that was less than enticing.  Overall, Tech won its games in Jones Stadium by an average score of 52.4-26.5.  Of course, today’s Red Raider fans would not complain about that given that the program has suddenly forgot what its like to win in Lubbock with any regularity.