It is okay to be optimistic after Week 1

After just one week of college football, Red Raider fans are elated. Tech not only won, but won in resounding fashion, beating one of the top FCS teams in the country. Texas, who someone actually predicted to go 12-1, lost to a sub-par Maryland team. Baylor did the unthinkable and actually lost to a mid-tier FCS team. And just when you thought no one could play even more embarrassingly, our former foes from College Station let UCLA come back from a 34 point deficit in 18 minutes. So yes, life is good for Tech fans, but with all the praise we received over the weekend, there have been just as many that have the tentative mindset.

This mindset is boring. Let’s say that the worst thing possible happens and Tech finishes the season 1-11. Would you rather relish in the two weeks of glory we currently have or be negative the entire season and be able to say “I told you so” to people that were just having fun after an impressive week 1 win? I am still sticking to my 5-7 preseason prediction but the performance the team displayed did make me raise an eyebrow. Even if I’m right and my prediction holds serve and we have a dismal season, I’ll be glad I was able to ride the high of success even if it’s only for two weeks.

However here’s the thing, Eastern Washington isn’t your average FCS team. Before Tech Eastern Washington had played six power 5 schools since 2011. Their largest margin of defeat in that span was only 19 to a Marcus Mariota led Oregon team. During that stretch EWU had defeated a ranked Oregon State squad and a Washington State team who ended the season 8-4. No one thinks that the game Tech played against Eastern Washington now makes Tech a Big 12 contender, but it did give a glimpse into what type of team we have this season. Early season poor performances against inferior opponents have been precursors of bad years previously, and many people, myself included, believed that this Eastern Washington team would give Tech fits. Some pundits (@davidpollack47) even picked Tech to lose this game, so it is alright to be excited and proud of the job the Red Raiders did.

The same people that say “this is just a FCS team,” will be the same people saying “well Arizona State isn’t very good,” and then saying “well Houston plays in a bad conference,” etc. If the team sucks, well at least we were happy for two weeks, BUT in case the team winds up having a successful season, I would much rather be part of the coalition that celebrated all our teams victories than be the Texas Tech scrooge shouting humbug all season. It’s not every week that we play well AND every other school in Texas embarrasses themselves (TCU plays at Arkansas this upcoming weekend, so there might be even more fun). Time to soak this moment in Red Raider fans. The team is undefeated, defense is tops in the nation, quarterback is one of the most efficient there is, and we even received some AP votes. Lets enjoy this, even if it is only for two weeks.