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There is a lot of anxiety about this upcoming season, and to some degree I fully understand that. Texas Tech is on the precipice of a cliff with many believing Matt Wells is on the hot seat in a big way. However, this team is extremely talented and finally has the depth needed to be competitive for four quarters. The team is older, deeper, and the most talented Tech team in years. There are question marks, but is there enough reasons to worry for this first week?
Houston Cougars
The Cougars are kind of in the same boat as Tech from a vibe perspective. Their fans are angsty after Holgorsen sacrificed his first season and the COVID season was a disaster. With year three on tap, Holgorsen needs to start earning the hype he came in with back when he was hired. He has his quarterback returning from last year in Clayton Tune, who can blame COVID cancellations for some of his inconsistency. Hologorsen, like Wells, played the transfer market hard adding several immediate contributors. Tech fans will be familiar with a few of them, but since ESPN is going to beat that storyline to death I won’t here.
All in all, two teams in critical year threes are battling it out for a chance to get critical momentum on their side. Who will triumph?
The Prediction: 56 - 31 Texas Tech
Houston was a bad defensive unit last year, and none of the returning starters or transfers they have worry me. I expect Tyler Shough to have a field day sitting back in the pocket and attacking all over the field. Tech’s overwhelming depth at running back will come in with the assist, and the points will be there early and often.
On the other side of the ball, Houston just will not be one of the better offenses Tech faces this season. Their offensive line is a liability, Tune is not a special quarterback, and with the exception of Carter their skill positions do not alarm me. Tech is going to look to make a statement defensively in this first matchup, and I am predicting they will with UH scoring a couple garbage time scores to make the score even somewhat close.
Call it optimism before crushing reality brings me down, but I am feeling extremely confident for this first matchup.