Texas Tech football: The path to a bowl game in 2019

Figure out how to have a winning record at home

The key to getting back to the postseason is to fix what has become the program’s most glaring flaw, its home record.  If Tech can finally get back to the place where teams dreaded coming to Lubbock and put together a winning record at Jones Stadium, a bowl game appearance will be attainable.

Going at least 4-2 in Lubbock seems to be reasonable this year.  The first two home games against Montana State and UTEP should be comfortable wins that resemble glorified scrimmages.

But the non-conference home games have not been the problem in recent seasons.  In fact, since 2013, the only non-conference game Tech lost at home was in 2014 when the Arkansas Razorbacks left Lubbock with a 49-28 win.

The problem has been Big 12 play at home.  Tech has not beaten a conference team other than Kansas in Lubbock since 2015 and has not won more than two Big 12 home games in a season since 2009.

This year could be the season to end that streak.  The Red Raiders will host only one team that will start the season ranked, No. 21 Iowa State.

The other three Big 12 home games will be winnable games but will feature teams that have had some recent success in Lubbock.  Oklahoma State has not lost at Jones Stadium since 2008 while TCU has won its last two games in Lubbock.  And Kansas State will come to town for the home finale looking to start its own streak in West Texas after taking a stunning overtime win in 2017.

The encouraging news is that all three of those teams will have serious questions to answer this year.  OSU and TCU will be breaking in new starting QBs and KSU, like Tech, will be in the first year of a new coaching staff.  If the Red Raiders can capitalize on those weaknesses and finally reassert itself at home this year by winning at least four games at the Jones, a bowl game appearance will be highly likely.