Texas Tech football: Breaking down the Red Raiders’ 2020 schedule
Tuesday, the Big 12 released the 2020 conference football schedule so let’s break down what is in store for the Texas Tech football team next season.
Though there are still five (and hopefully six) games remaining in the 2019 Texas Tech football season, this week we turn our attention to next year after the release of the 2020 schedule. Fortunately, the fans in Lubbock are in for a much more intriguing set of games at Jones Stadium next year than what we have been privy to in Matt Wells’ first season.
This year has been one of the worst home schedules in program history as we predicted would be the case in the offseason. With the recent struggles of TCU and Kansas State, the only two remaining Big 12 opponents set to visit Lubbock, it now is safe to say that there will only be one ranked team come to the South Plains this year, No. 21 Oklahoma State, which Tech knocked out of the polls with a 45-35 win.
Considering that the teams on this year’s home slate are currently a combined 22-17 this season, it is easy to see why this year’s home schedule has been rather uninteresting to the average fan. To take that thought a step further, look at how the teams to visit the Jones have done in Big 12 play in 2019. They are just a combined 6-8 in league play with only Iowa State having a winning Big 12 record. And the Cyclones are the only team to play in Lubbock this year currently in the top four of the conference standings.
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It certainly would have been nice for Tech to host Arizona this year, rather than travel to Tucson. The Wildcats are currently 4-3 overall and 2-2 in PAC 12 play. They’ve been a bit of surprise in the second year of the Kevin Sumlin era and would have given the 2019 home schedule a bit of a boost.
Moving forward, Tech AD Kirby Hocutt should do everything in his power to schedule the Red Raiders’ every-other-year home game against a Power 5 team to fall in odd-numbered years when neither Oklahoma, Texas, nor Baylor are scheduled to come to Lubbock.
On the other hand, there could be a bit of a silver lining regarding this year’s weak home schedule. After all, this team is struggling to find its identity and its footing in the first year of Wells’ tenure.
That’s why the Red Raiders may be fortunate to have such a winnable set of games at home this year. The program desperately needs to pick up some Big 12 home wins in order to win back some home fans after going from 2015 to this year without beating a conference team other than Kansas at Jones Stadium.
Tech has already knocked off Oklahoma State and has every reason to expect to beat TCU and Kansas State, which would give the program three Big 12 home wins for the first time since 2009. At this point, it is more important to the overall health of the program for the Red Raiders to come up wins in front of the fine people of West Texas, regardless of whether they come against the lower half of the league or not, than to entertain higher-profile teams that they are almost certain to lose to regardless of where the game is played.
That sets Wells second year up as one that could potentially be a real turning point. With Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Baylor, and West Virginia all set to come to Lubbock, there will be plenty of chances for marquee home wins to bring a cynical and lethargic fan base back on board. The opportunity will be there. Will the team be good enough to capitalize?
Let’s break down the 2020 schedule because there are some interesting and unusual aspects of next year’s slate of games. Starting with the fact that we still don’t know who Tech will play in the home opener.