Texas Tech football bowl projections after week 11: Familiar opponents possible?

The Texas Tech football team is off this week and it might be a great time for the Red Raiders to catch their breath. Not only was last week's loss to Colorado rather intense in almost all aspects of the game, but Tech has gone just 1-3 since its first open date of the season following the win over Arizona on October 5th.

Unfortunately, Tech's loss to the Buffaloes essentially ended any of the program's hopes of playing in the Big 12 Championship Game or the College Football Playoff. But, if the Red Raiders can get to eight wins by beating Oklahoma State and West Virginia, they could find themselves in a nice bowl game.

Of course, there was once a time when the Red Raiders couldn't take getting to any bowl game for granted. During the eight full seasons of the Kilff Kingsbury and Matt Wells eras, Tech played in the postseason only three times.

Thankfully, current head coach Joey McGuire has made getting to a bowl game the baseline for this program once again. He's now got Tech to bowl eligibility in all three of his seasons and Tech could win its fourth bowl game in a row in 2024. So let's look at what bowls Tech could wind up playing in this season.

Liberty Bowl vs. Vanderbilt or Missouri

College Football Network and Sports Illustrated both have Tech playing in the Liberty Bowl. That would be an unexciting destination for Tech considering that the program was in that bowl as recently as 2021 when the Red Raiders beat Mike Leach and Mississippi State 34-7.

However, the two potential opponents that these outlets have Tech playing, Vanderbilt and Missouri, could be two of the better teams that the Red Raiders could face in the postseason. Tech has played Vanderbilt just once a 6-6 tie in the 1974 Peach Bowl. Meanwhile, Tech is just 3-6 all-time vs. former Big 12 rival Missouri.

Texas Bowl vs. Arkansas

Athlon Sports foresees Tech playing in Houston in the Texas Bowl. There, they could face former Southwest Conference rival Arkansas.

Tech has played in the Texas Bowl as recently as 2022 when they dismantled Ole Miss. Tech has also played in the Texas Bowl in 2015 and 2012.

Rate Bowl vs. Michigan State

USA Today puts Tech in the Rate Bowl vs. Michigan State. Played as the Copper Bowl from its inception through 1996, it was known as the Insight.com Bowl from 1997 through 2001, then the Insight Bowl from 2002 through 2011, the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl for 2012 and 2013, and the Cactus Bowl for the 2014 through 2017 seasons. In 2018 and 2019, the game was known as the Cheez-It Bowl. In 2020, Guaranteed Rate signed on as the title sponsor of the game, renaming it as the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. In October 2024, the game became the Rate Bowl as part of a company rebrand.

Tech met Michigan State in one of the most memorable bowls in program history. In 2010 Alamo Bowl (played at the end of the 2009 season), the Red Raiders beat the Spartans 41-31 just days after firing head coach Mike Leach.

Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. SMU

CBSSports.com puts Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. SMU. This game played in Orlando, Florida, used to be known as the Blockbuster Bowl, the CarQuest Bowl, the MicronPC Bowl, the Tangerine Bowl, the Champs Sports Bowl, the Russell Athletic Bowl, the Camping World Bowl, and the Cheez-It Bowl.

Of course, Tech and SMU have a long series history as former Southwest Conference opponents and in-state competitors. The programs have met 49 times with Tech winning 33 of the matchups.