What Happened Last Time Texas Tech Played Each of Their 2026 Opponents
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The Texas Tech Red Raiders already have sky-high expectations for the 2026 season, their fifth under the leadership of head coach Joey McGuire, after having what many would call the best season in program history in 2025.
Now is where the real challenges begin for Coach McGuire and the team, filling the massive voids that are left by players such as edge rusher David Bailey and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez heading to the NFL.
Thankfully, players like linebacker Ben Roberts are sticking around in Lubbock for 2026, and the acquisition of Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby in the transfer portal, not to mention the talent that lies within all the high school recruits should have all systems as a go for the upcoming season.
What Happened Last Time?
With the 2026 schedule now set in stone, here is a look at what happened during the most recent matchup between the Red Raiders and each of their opponents for the upcoming campaign.
Abilene Christian Wildcats: August 31, 2024, won 52-51 in Overtime
Well, this is certainly one way to start a season.
Tech's 2024 season opener saw them put up 22 points in the first quarter on Abilene Christian, and were up 32-21 at halftime, but ACU kept crawling back and despite quarterback Maverick McIvor's 506 passing yards and three touchdowns, Behren Morton's five passing scores and running back Tahj Brooks' 153 yards were just what Tech needed to grab a hard-fought overtime win.
All-time record: Texas Tech leads, 7-3
Oregon State Beavers: September 13, 2025, won 45-14
Tech made quick work of the Pac-12 school last year, with Morton torching the team for 464 yards and four touchdowns with Coy Eakin accounting for one of the scores and 123 of the yards on five catches to keep Tech undefeated.
All-time record: Texas Tech leads, 2-0
Houston Cougars: October 4, 2025, won 35-11
Even being at home didn't give Houston much of an advantage against the Red Raiders last year, and after quarterback Conner Weigman left the game with a concussion, the Coogs were basically putty in Tech's hands, and 35 points later, Tech headed back to Lubbock with a goose egg still in the loss column.
All-time record: Houston leads, 18-16-1
Sam Houston State Bearkats, September 5, 2015, won 59-45
Patrick Mahomes was wheeling and dealing in the 2015 season opener, throwing for 425 yards and four touchdowns (all in the first half) in a game that combined for 1,248 yards of offense.
All-time record: Texas Tech leads, 2-0
Colorado Buffaloes: November 9, 2024, lost 41-27
Jacob Rodriguez's 17 total tackles and sack on Shedeur Sanders simply wasn't enough for Tech against the Buffaloes in 2024, as eventual Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter would catch nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown to give head coach Deion Sanders and the Buffs the last laugh.
All-time record: Colorado leads, 6-5
Arizona State Sun Devils: October 18. 2025, lost 26-22
Texas Tech was almost perfect in the 2025 regular season, but a trip to Tempe, Arizona is the only thing that separated them from a flawless campaign.
The Red Raiders put together a 15-point fourth quarter to take a 22-19 lead with two minutes left, but Sam Leavitt and the Sun Devils orchestrated a pristine game-winning drive that resulted in running back Raleek Brown hitting paydirt with 34 seconds left to dash Tech's perfect season hopes.
All-time record: Series tied, 3-3
Cincinnati Bearcats: September 28, 2024, won 44-41
Joey McGuire didn't know that he was facing his future quarterback in Brendan Sorsby at this point in time, but he definitely had to take few deep breaths during the course of the game as Sorsby's 426 yards and four touchdowns just came up short as Tech stole a three-point win in front of the home crowd.
All-time record: Texas Tech leads, 1-0-1
Arizona Wildcats: October 5, 2024, won 28-22
Tahj Brooks simply could not be stopped by the Wildcats, torching them for 128 yards and a hat trick of rushing scores in a game that Tech never trailed in.
All-time record: Texas Tech leads, 27-5-2
West Virginia Mountaineers: November 29, 2025, won 49-0
Yeah, this one was pretty ugly.
Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez was the one that got the scoring started for the Red Raiders, punching in a one-yard score on the opening drive, the first of seven touchdowns scored on the day by the No. 5 Tech offense.
Wideouts Caleb Douglas and Micah Hudson each caught a pair of scores as the offense put up 572 yards of total offense in the annihilation of the Mountaineers.
All-time record: Texas Tech leads, 8-7
Oklahoma State Cowboys: October 25, 2025, won 42-0
In another conference walloping from the 2025 season, Tech again controlled the game from the opening kick, which saw returner J'Koby Williams take it 99 yards to the house, and the halfback would catch a touchdown on the next drive as well in the home shutout.
All-time record: Texas Tech leads, 29-24-3
Baylor Bears: October 19, 2024, lost 59-35
The Red Raiders were sticking with their fellow Lone Star school until a run of 28 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarters by the Bears put the game out of reach quickly.
All-time record: Baylor leads, 42-39-1
TCU Horned Frogs: October 26, 2024, lost 35-34
In a game that had Tech up 31-14 midway through the third quarter, quarterback Josh Hoover lead three scoring drives, including the go-ahead touchdown, an 84-yard pass to Eric McAlister, with 5:10 remaining as the Red Raiders fell to TCU on the road by a single point.
All-time record: Texas Tech leads, 32-31-3
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Aaron Raley is a writer covering the Texas Tech On SI. Born and raised in Northeast Texas, Aaron earned a degree from Texas A&M University in journalism, with minors in history and sports management. Aaron’s writing abilities are driven by his love and passion for various sports, both at the collegiate and professional levels, as well as his experience in playing sports, especially baseball and football.
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