Wreck'Em Red
Fansided

Texas Tech football: Ranking 2020 games by importance for Matt Wells (No. 1-6)

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on during a timeout huddle during the second half of the college football game against the Kansas State Wildcats on November 23, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on during a timeout huddle during the second half of the college football game against the Kansas State Wildcats on November 23, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
The Texas Tech Red Raiders. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Texas Tech Red Raiders. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

No. 5 – TCU

Another rival that Tech fans have tasted some success against in recent years is TCU.  With the teams having alternated wins over the last five years as each program has won on the other’s home field every year during that stretch, there isn’t as much desperation to beat the Frogs this year as there will be for Tech to prevail in other games.

However, this is still a series that matters to Red Raider fans, and Wells’ approval rating would receive a nice boost if he were able to bring the Saddle Trophy home with him on November 21st.  For what it’s worth, ESPN gives Tech just a 26.5% shot at accomplishing that goal.

Just like Oklahoma State, TCU is a program that Tech recruits against for a huge portion of the players the Red Raiders target each year.  Thus, this game will annually hold more significance than many others given that TCU sits in the heart of Tech’s most fertile recruiting grounds, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

There’s also a significant hate factor to consider anytime these schools square off in just about any sport.  Since Texas A&M left the Big 12 and TCU joined, the Frogs have become a caffeine-free version of the Aggies in the minds of most Red Raiders.  So while beating them will never feel as good as shutting up the Aggies, getting over on the Frogs is highly satisfying for the people in West Texas.

Last year, Wells could have done himself some good by taking care of the Horned Frogs in Lubbock but a late fumble by receiver McLane Mannix allowed Gary Patterson’s team to return to Fort Worth with a 33-31 win.  It extended TCU’s winning streak at Jones Stadium to three games and kept the Red Raiders’ home woes front and center in the minds of fans.

Winning this year in Fort Worth won’t do as much for Wells’ popularity as a win last year in Lubbock would have.  But still, this is always an important game for Texas Tech fans because beating the program that many Red Raiders have come to refer to as the “Purple Aggies” is always going to be worth celebrating.

Home/Texas Tech Football