Texas Tech Red Raiders

Big 12 program. 2025 was a strong portal/spend year — playoff caliber per the show. Brendan Sorsby was their headline transfer-portal QB acquisition (~$6.5M), inherited from Indiana. Reached the playoff in 2025 with Behren Morton at QB after Sorsby's mid-season injury context. Caleb Douglas was a key WR contributor; he was a third-round NFL Draft pick by Miami in 2026.

2026-04-28 news anchor: Sorsby checking into residential gambling-addiction treatment under NCAA investigation.

Current Show Posture

As of 2026-10-05:

Texas Tech remains a Big 12 contender on roster talent and line play, but the hosts no longer treat the offense as settled. The Houston preview identified the search for a new identity, the Week 3 recap did not close it, and the October 5 discussion describes Tech as more vulnerable than its preseason image. The conference race has reopened accordingly.

2026 Playoff Prediction Update

• 2026-08-24: Texas Tech is projected as a Big 12 champion, with a clean league-winning resume capable of beating a 9-3 SEC team for playoff position. 2026-08-24 A Clean Texas Tech Resume Can Beat a 9-3 SEC Team

2026 Preview Snapshot

• 2026 Big 12 Preview Part 1: The Big 12 has more returning quarterback names than the ACC, which makes the top half more interesting and easier to preview. 2026-07-20 Returning Quarterbacks Make The Big Twelve Legible
• 2026 Big 12 Preview Part 1: Texas Tech stepping up gives the Big 12 a recognizable national story and a program people can point to. 2026-07-20 Texas Tech Gives The Big Twelve A Story
• 2026 Big 12 Preview Part 1: Ty puts Texas Tech, BYU, and Houston in the Big 12 top tier because each has a credible conference-title case. 2026-07-20 Ty Top Tier Is Texas Tech BYU And Houston
• 2026 Big 12 Preview Part 2: Texas Tech separated from BYU last year with defensive proof of concept, making the roster additions easier to believe in. 2026-07-21 Texas Tech Defensive Proof Is Already There
• 2026 Big 12 Preview Part 2: Texas Tech is a deserved top dog, but Will Hammond not popping as a full-time QB1 is the path to a more ordinary eight-win season. 2026-07-21 Will Hammond Is The Texas Tech Range Of Outcomes

Running Takes

• 2026-09-16: 2026-09-16 Texas Tech is still good, but it is rebuilding its identity on offense — Texas Tech is still good, but it is rebuilding its identity on offense.
• 2026-09-16: 2026-09-16 Houston’s pass protection is the hinge against Texas Tech — Houston’s pass protection is the hinge against Texas Tech.
• 2026-08-24: 2026-08-24 A Clean Texas Tech Resume Can Beat a 9-3 SEC Team — a Big 12 champion's clean resume can beat a 9-3 SEC résumé for a playoff spot
• 2026-07-21: 2026-07-21 Will Hammond Is The Texas Tech Range Of Outcomes - preview-season update from the July intake batch.
• 2026-07-21: 2026-07-21 Texas Tech Defensive Proof Is Already There - preview-season update from the July intake batch.
• 2026-07-20: 2026-07-20 Texas Tech Gives The Big Twelve A Story - preview-season update from the July intake batch.
• 2026-07-20: 2026-07-20 Returning Quarterbacks Make The Big Twelve Legible - The Big 12 has more returning quarterback names than the ACC, which makes the top half more interesting and easier to preview.
• 2026-07-20: 2026-07-20 Ty Top Tier Is Texas Tech BYU And Houston - Ty puts Texas Tech, BYU, and Houston in the Big 12 top tier because each has a credible conference-title case.
• 2026-07-07: 2026-07-07 Odds Board Confirms A Loaded Top Shelf — 2026-07-07 Odds Board Confirms A Loaded Top Shelf.
• 2026-06-25: 2026-06-25 Sorsby NFL Path Got Harder Without Supplemental Draft — the NFL declines to hold a Supplemental Draft, pushing Sorsby toward 2027
• 2026-06-18: 2026-06-18 Sorsby Exit Was The Least Bad Ending — the legal/league calendar made a mutual parting the practical resolution
• 2026-06-18: 2026-06-18 Cody Campbell Made Texas Tech Easier To Villainize — Cody Campbell's public posture became a booster-era image problem
• 2026-06-18: 2026-06-18 Texas Tech Story Moves Back To Will Hammond — Texas Tech's preview read shifts back to Hammond's health and development
• 2026-06-10: 2026-06-10 Sorsby Makes Texas Tech Playoff Case Plausible — Sark Tank reopens the football bull case if Sorsby remains eligible
• 2026-06-09: 2026-06-09 Weirdness Still Exists Outside the Power Two — Texas Tech is a live example of non-P2 national relevance and modern booster-era weirdness
• 2026-06-09: 2026-06-09 Gambling Saturation Is a Broadcast Problem — Sorsby makes gambling enforcement a Texas Tech football story
• 2026-06-02: 2026-06-02 Sorsby Uncertainty Reopens the Big 12 Middle — Tech remains the likely best roster, but the league opens if Sorsby is unavailable
• 2026-06-02: 2026-06-02 Portal Vetting Cannot Eliminate Human Volatility — Tech is the example of a rational portal swing with unavoidable human/eligibility risk
• 2026-05-12: 2026-05-12 Houston Texas Tech Is the Big 12 Under Card — Week 3 Houston game is a real Big 12 checkpoint
• 2026-05-05: 2026-05-05 Sorsby Was Bad Luck Not Buyers Remorse — show defends Tech's process; vetting will become a cottage industry
• 2026-05-05: 2026-05-05 Houston Is the Cleanest Big 12 Dark Horse — companion: where the Big 12 Sorsby-induced opening goes
• 2026-04-30: 2026-04-30 Sorsby News Cracks the Big 12 Door — Bill: best Big 12 roster despite Sorsby uncertainty
• 2026-04-28: 2026-04-28 Sorsby Gambling Story is the First of Its Kind
• 2026-09-09: 2026-09-09 Texas Tech can win without covering an inflated number — The hosts favor Texas Tech against Oregon State but distinguish the likely winner from a spread they regard as too large.
• 2026-09-20: 2026-09-20 Texas Tech is still searching for its offensive identity — The Week 3 recap keeps Texas Tech’s offense on the watch list rather than assuming wins have restored last year’s identity.
• 2026-10-05: 2026-10-05 Texas Tech is more vulnerable than its preseason image — Dan says the Big 12 race looks different if Texas Tech is not as sturdy as expected. This is a live reassessment rather than a prediction of collapse.

Episode Appearances

• 2026-09-16 Week 3 Preview - Texas Tech, Houston and Ole Miss-LSU — Ty and Dan set up Week 3 while tired but eager, moving through a slate led by Ole Miss–LSU and the Texas Tech–Houston matchup.
• 2026-04-28 Fantasy Footballers Crossover with Jason Moore
• 2026-04-30 Bill Connelly Post-Spring Conference Walk — best Big 12 roster + Sorsby probability adjustment
• 2026-05-05 May Q&A Part 1 — Patreon Q&A: vetting + portal QB supply discussion
• 2026-05-12 The 2026 College Football Calendar Utility — Houston, Arizona State, Arizona, Oklahoma State, Baylor, TCU schedule contexts
• 2026-06-02 June Q&A - Summer Loves, Cignetti vs Saban and Portal Panic — Sorsby eligibility and Big 12 middle-tier volatility
• 2026-06-09 Too Much Noise, Not Enough Weirdness with Richard Johnson — Sorsby injunction breaking news and Texas Tech as non-P2 weirdness example
• 2026-06-10 Sark Tank 3.0 - Investing in Texas Tech, the SEC, USC's Defense and G6 Chaos — Sorsby-led Big 12 title and playoff-win investment pitch
• 2026-06-18 Brendan Sorsby's Exit and Message Board Madness — Sorsby/Texas Tech separation, Cody Campbell posture, fan conflict, and Will Hammond reset
• 2026-06-25 Chris Fallica on College Football Bets, Portal Chaos and World Cup Fever — Supplemental Draft update removes Sorsby's immediate NFL path
• 2026-07-20 Big 12 Preview Part 1 - Power Tiers and Big Storylines - preview-season discussion from the July intake batch.
• 2026-07-21 Big 12 Preview Part 2 - Texas Tech, BYU, Kansas and More Team Previews - preview-season discussion from the July intake batch.
• 2026-08-24 Our 2026 College Football Playoff Predictions — Texas Tech appears in Dan's projected field as Big 12 champion
• 2026-09-09 Week 2 Preview - Oklahoma, Michigan and Texas A&M-Arizona State — The hosts favor Texas Tech against Oregon State but distinguish the likely winner from a spread they regard as too large.
• 2026-09-20 Week 3 Recap - Ole Miss Survives LSU — The Week 3 recap keeps Texas Tech’s offense on the watch list rather than assuming wins have restored last year’s identity.
• 2026-10-05 Week 6 Monday - Conference Contenders and the Blue-Ribbon Panel — Dan says the Big 12 race looks different if Texas Tech is not as sturdy as expected. This is a live reassessment rather than a prediction of collapse.