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Texas Tech football: Ranking 2020’s games by importance to Matt Wells (No. 7-12)

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 05: Head coach Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders leaves the field after the college football game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on October 05, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 05: Head coach Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders leaves the field after the college football game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on October 05, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Texas Tech Red Raiders Saddle Tramps  (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Texas Tech Red Raiders Saddle Tramps  (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

No. 12 – Alabama State

When Texas Tech hosts Alabama State in the second week of the season, Wells and his program have nothing to gain.  But should they lose to the FCS weakling, they could lose what’s left of an already jaded and cynical fan base.

No one outside of coaches and athletic directors enjoys seeing FBS teams face FCS programs.  It’s an ugly practice that has become acceptable and almost required in today’s world of college football and Tech is simply doing as the rest of the nation’s FBS schools do.

But the only meaningful result that can come from this game, the season’s first at Jones Stadium, is a sheer and utter disaster.  Now, we have seen programs like Michigan, Washington State, Oregon State, Kansas State, Virginia Tech, and Iowa all lose to an FCS team and not suffer any long-term repercussions on a program-wide level.  But the damage that such a loss would do to Wells’ reputation among Texas Tech football fans might be irreparable.

Giving his critics the ultimate ammunition to use in their continued war against his tenure, falling to Alabama State at home would speed up the hot-seat clock by as much as a full year unless an improbable turnaround were to be in store for the rest of the season.

On the other hand, winning this game is going to do nothing for Wells.  After all, Tech has never lost to an FCS program and the recent scores of their yearly blood-letting in such games include 77-0, 45-10, 56-10, and 69-17.  He could essentially score a 100-0 victory and not be in any better shape with most fans that he already is.  You don’t turn things around by beating schools that you are paying to be a sacrificial lamb for your home opener.

Right now, the ESPN.com matchup predictor gives Tech a 99.7% chance of winning this game.  Thus, it checks in at the bottom of our list but just keep in mind that if an upset occurs, the sky will certainly be falling in West Texas.

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