Big 12 team preview: Slumbering Texas Tech is due for a breakout season. Can the 2024 Red Raiders deliver?

Editor’s note: This story is the 12th in a series previewing each football team in the Big 12 in 2024.

If there was a sleeping giant in the Big 12 football race the past couple of years, a good case could be made that it was Texas Tech.

But the Red Raiders never seemed able to live up to their preseason hype — like last year when they were picked to finish fourth and then went out and lost to the likes of Wyoming, West Virginia and BYU, and at home to No. 13 Oregon, 38-30.

Coach Joey McGuire’s squad finished with a respectable 7-6 overall record (5-4 in the Big 12) but most folks in Lubbock viewed it as an opportunity lost, a less than satisfying season.

The Red Raiders did finish the season well, winning four of their final five games after dropping the “Spitgate” game at BYU, 27-14.

But that one loss after October 21 was a doozie: Rival Texas blitzed Tech 57-7 as an in-your-face going away present before the hated Longhorns bolted for the SEC.

Texas Tech football in 2024

Fast forward to 2024. Texas Tech has some outstanding players returning, most notably All-America candidate running back Tahj Brooks, linebacker Ben Roberts, safety CJ Baskerville and quarterback Behren Morton.

But media members aren’t falling for the bravado coming out of West Texas this time around. Tech is picked to finish ninth in the league, despite a very, very favorable schedule.

The Red Raiders don’t have to face No. 1-picked Utah, No. 2-picked Kansas State, or No. 4-picked Kansas in 2024.

Five of their first seven games are at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, so another slow start should be entirely avoidable.

Texas Tech also does not play BYU this year, which could be a good thing after last year’s game in Provo ended with allegations from the Cougars that multiple Tech players spat at them shortly after plays had concluded. The bad blood will have to wait until 2025 to be renewed, apparently.

For his part, McGuire downplayed that brouhaha at Big 12 football media days, while failing to dampen expectations for his group this season — again.

“The one thing going into year three (of his tenure at Tech), this is the deepest that we’ve been,” McGuire said. “We have 142 college starts on the offensive line. My very first year we played three defensive tackles (on the O line).”

McGuire also said he has seven defensive tackles who could play for anybody in the country.

“The roster has really changed,” he said. “We have more talent and more depth.”

Now if only the team can get to November with something still on the line. McGuire said they are 8-2 in November and December games in his tenure.

“We have a really healthy (culture) in our locker room,” he said. “Our guys love each other, care about each other, and will really step in and keep playing for each other. … We need to get off to a fast start. … We’ve got a great opportunity to get started on a fast note, and we need to do that this year to get going in the right direction.”

Adding to the lofty expectations is the fact that Texas Tech had the best recruiting class in the Big 12, including five-star receiver Micah Hudson.

“A couple of coaches have talked about (Hudson) being a generational player,” McGuire said. “Like, he is really special. He’s extremely athletic, but his maturity level and love of football, I haven’t been around a lot of people like that.”

Other top pass-catchers include senior receiver Josh Kelly and senior tight end Jalin Conyers.

Another schedule note: Tech’s first six games are against teams that didn’t go bowling in 2023.

If the Red Raiders can win a couple of their Big 12 road games — Arizona, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and TCU are their league opponents away from Lubbock — they’ve got a good chance to be playing the first Saturday of December in the conference championship game.

Of course, you’ve heard, or read, that before.

Texas Tech Red Raiders 2024 preview

2023 record: 7-6 (5-4 Big 12)

Utah ties:

• Associate head coach Kenny Perry (former Granger High player and assistant coach)

• Outside linebackers coach C.J. Ah You (former BYU/Snow College defensive lineman)

• Punter Jack Burgess (former Weber State punter)

2024 Schedule

Aug. 31: Abilene Christian

Sept. 7: at Washington State

Sept. 14: North Texas

Sept. 21: Arizona State

Sept. 28: Cincinnati

Oct. 5: at Arizona

Oct. 19: Baylor

Oct. 26: at TCU

Nov. 2: at Iowa State

Nov. 9: Colorado

Nov. 23: at Oklahoma State

Nov. 30: West Virginia