Holiday Wish No. 3 for Texas Tech Fans This Holiday Season
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As many people are busy preparing for the holidays, Texas Tech fans have numerous reasons to be excited about this holiday season. Here now is a look at holiday wish No. 3, and it would make many Texas Tech fans extremely happy if it came true.
Holiday Wish No. 3: Texas Tech Defeats Oregon, Winner of Indiana-Alabama, and Plays in the National Championship
The Red Raiders must first defeat Oregon on New Year's Day in the Orange Bowl in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff. Texas Tech is a slight underdog in its matchup against the Ducks, but the Red Raiders are the No. 4 seed and should be more rested, having had a bye in the first round.
However, in the playoffs last season, every team that had a first-round bye lost in the quarterfinal round. The hope for Texas Tech fans is that the trend from last year's CFP doesn't repeat itself.
Defeating Oregon will not be an easy task; many analysts and fans are choosing the Ducks to win against the Red Raiders because they do not fully respect the Texas Tech team. However, the Red Raiders arguably have the best defense in the country and the most underrated offense.
Oregon does have a powerful offense and an underrated defense, but as they scored 51 points against James Madison, they also gave up 34 points to the Dukes.
Texas Tech's offense should be able to put up points against this Oregon defense to give the Red Raiders a good chance to win this game. Many college football analysts and fans will focus on the matchup between the Oregon offense and Texas Tech's defense, but it may be the special teams play that determines the outcome of this game.
Texas Tech’s advantage lies with its kick and punt returns. Playmakers like Coy Eakin and J'Koby Williams lead Texas Tech's punt and kick returns with their game-changing speed. The Red Raiders are fourth in the country in average yards per kickoff return and tied for 61st in punt return average.
Oregon is ranked 33rd in average yards per punt return but 68th in average kick returns. The Red Raiders have a slight advantage in the return game.
Texas Tech's kicking game is solid, not outstanding. Stone Harrington and Upton Bellenfant are a combined 28-of-33 on field goal kicks this season. Oregon's kicker, Atticus Sappington, is 16-for-19 and has not missed an extra-point attempt this season. This seems not to be an advantage for either team, though the Red Raiders will have the advantage in the punting game, as Texas Tech ranks No. 42 in the country in net punting, while the Ducks rank 58th.
Many college football analysts on social media and TV will focus on the Ducks' offense versus the Red Raiders' defense leading up to the game, but the special teams play of both teams may very likely determine the outcome of this game. If all goes well, expect a Red Raiders victory.
Orange Bowl score prediction
After defeating Oregon, Texas Tech would need to defeat the winner of the Alabama-Indiana game. The Hoosiers are considered the favorite, but the last CFP saw No. 1-seeded Oregon lose by 20 to No. 8-seeded Ohio State. The Buckeyes not only pulled off that upset but also won the national championship last season. No one should assume that if the Red Raiders defeat the Ducks, they will automatically play Indiana in the semifinals.
If this wish is fulfilled, it would make every Texas Tech fan's holiday even more memorable. First, though, Texas Tech needs to defeat Oregon and then win its semifinal game.
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Ryan Kay is a journalist who graduated from Michigan State in 2003 and is passionate about covering college sports and enjoys writing features and articles covering various collegiate teams. He has worked as an editor at Go Joe Bruin and has been a contributor for Longhorns Wire and Busting Brackets. He is a contributor for Texas Tech On SI.