There’s no doubt in my mind that the team that won the Big 12 in a shocking way and happened to win by wide margins on a very regular basis and then assembled a ton of talent in the offseason is going to be the team that a lot of people want to beat this season.
That’s going to be the Texas Tech Red Raiders this year. Joey McGuire and the Texas Tech football team won’t be underdogs or overlooked this coming season. Instead, we’re going to see a ton of scrutiny and attention on what the Red Raiders do this season.
So what can Texas Tech do to really showcase that the Red Raiders have arrived as a legitimate program that’s ready to compete for national titles? Probably build upon what they did last season and just get through the schedule without any blemishes.
But there’s one opponent who might prove to be an interesting challenge.
ESPN’s Dave Wilson notes that the Houston Cougars will help define the 2026 Texas Tech Red Raiders’ football season
According to Dave Wilson over at ESPN, there's a few reasons that this game will be worth keeping an eye on. The fact that the Houston Cougars have improved so quickly under Willie Fritz’ leadership (winning 10 games this past season was fascinating and not something I expected for the Coogs) is just one reason as to why the Red Raiders will need to watch out when they play.
Another element of this? Texas Tech’s matchup with Houston will be the first actual challenge for the Red Raiders. Playing the Abilene Christian Wildcats to start the season and then following that up with a matchup in Corvallis against the Oregon State Beavers hardly count as tough games.
So facing a team that just won 10 games a season ago? That’ll be interesting. Getting conference play started in week 3 is certainly something to pay attention to.
Now, Texas Tech did crush the Cougars in Houston last season, winning 35-11 in 2025. But it stands to reason that UH will likely improve once again this season.