Texas Tech avoids worst-possible kickoff time at Iowa State

The Texas Tech football team learned Monday that its November 2nd game with Iowa State will kick off at 2:30 p.m. Central on ESPN. That's good news for the Red Raiders.

Road teams always want to kick off as early as possible. Not only do early kickoff times limit the amount of downtime that road teams must endure, but the earlier the kick is, the less juiced up the home crowd usually is.

Thus, a 2:30 p.m. kick in Ames is not the worst outcome for the Red Raiders. After all, playing in Ames at night is something no team in the Big 12 wants to do.

Iowa State has some of the most loyal fans in the nation. Regardless of where the Cyclones sit in the standings each year, the people in Ames and northern Iowa seem to pack Jack Trice Stadium every week. That's why it has become one of the toughest places to play in the conference.

Overall, Tech is just 1-3 in Ames since 2016. The good news is that the lone win came in Tech's last trip there.

What's more, that 14-10 victory in 2022 was a night game. On a blisteringly cold evening in late November, Tech got a four-yard TD pass from Tyler Shough to TE Baylor Cupp with just over 6:00 left in the game to secure the win. It was the first true road win for Joey McGuire as head coach of the Red Raiders.

However, that Iowa State team was bad. It entered the game just 4-6 on the season and would finish the year 4-8 overall and 1-8 in Big 12 play.

This year, it is a much different story for the Cyclones. Sitting at 7-0 on the season, ISU is in first place in the conference and ranked 10th in the country. Therefore, the people in Ames have plenty to be excited about.

Though a 2:30 p.m. kickoff for Tech in Ames won't be an easy task, it beats having to play a true night game in a location where the weather could also be a factor. Still, the Red Raiders will have to play their best if they hope to come away from Jack Trice with a win in two weeks. But at least they won't have to battle through a night game environment to do so.