Though we are still 108 days away from the start of the Texas Tech football season, excitement is high for the 2025 campaign. That's why Red Raider fans are hungry for any news about the upcoming season. Tuesday, the Big 12 gave us some information about the early conference schedule by releasing kickoff times for some intriguing non-conference matchups that will open the season.
We know that Texas Tech won't be in a marquee game in week one. Instead, Tech is going to continue its tradition of starting the season against an FCS opponent.
This year, the week-one opponent coming to Lubbock will be Arkansas-Pine Bluff. It will be the third time in the last four seasons that Tech has opened against an FCS opponent. The only exception was in 2023 when the Red Raiders lost at Wyoming in week one.
However, when the season's first week does arrive, Texas Tech fans will be eager to consume as much Big 12 football as possible. Fortunately, there are some exciting matchups on the schedule to start the year.
Mark those calendars, folks 📆#Big12FB | @ESPNCFB pic.twitter.com/EF4v9zjFHh
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) May 13, 2025
In fact, a Big 12 rivalry will help kick off the entire college football slate in Week 0. Iowa State and Kansas State will take their "Farmageddon" rivalry, one that dates back to 1917, to Ireland. At 11 am Central on August 23, they will clash in Dublin in a game that will feature two Big 12 title hopefuls.
A few days later, on Thursday, August 28, Cincinnati will host Nebraska out of the Big Ten. Of course, most Big 12 fans like to keep an eye on the Cornhuskers, who were original members of the Big 12.
Although Cincinnati is expected to be a bottom-tier team in the Big 12, they are a tough team to handle in their home stadium. If they can beat Nebraska in the 8 p.m. Central game on ESPN, it would be a huge feather in the Big 12's cap.
Another fascinating early conference matchup featuring a Big 12 team will occur when Georgia Tech travels to Colorado on Friday, August 29. That 7 p.m. Central kickoff on ESPN will see a Yellowjacket team coming off a 7-6 season try to take down a rebuilding Colorado squad that will be replacing star DB/WR Travis Hunter and QB Shedeur Sanders.
Finally, everyone will have their eyes on TCU's opener on Monday, September 1. However, the intrigue will be more about the Horned Frogs' opponent, North Carolina.
That's because the Tar Heels will be led by legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick this season. Therefore, ESPN will expect a big TV audience to tune in for the 7 p.m. Central kickoff.
As for the Red Raiders, they won't step into the national consciousness until week three when they host Oregon State. However, despite the Red Raiders' weak early-season schedule, there will be plenty of fascinating Big 12 games to keep Tech fans entertained in the first week or two of the season.