On Tuesday, the Big 12 conference revealed the schedule for the 2025 college football season. With the first signing period and transfer portal opening both officially completed, this was the first tangible item fans could anchor their hopes and dreams to. The Red Raiders will enter the fall with high expectations after signing one of the top transfer classes in the nation. So what parts of the Texas Tech schedule are favorable and which will be the most challenging?
2025 Texas Tech Schedule Reaction
Non-Conference Appears Light As A Feather
The Texas Tech schedule kicks off with three consecutive home games. The Red Raiders will not leave the friendly confines of Jones AT&T Stadium for the entire non-conference stretch. It starts with FCS Arkansas-Pine Bluff, who went 3-9 last season. There is a very good chance this game will be much less stressful than the FCS home opener Joey McGuire dealt with this season. After that, they will welcome Kent State. This MAC member went 0-12 in 2024.
Before Big 12 play starts, the Red Raiders host Pac 12 member Oregon State. The Beavers went 5-7 in a sudo-Mountain West schedule. But the Beavers beat the same Washington State team that took down the Tahj Brook-less Red Raiders in week two this season. With a combined record of 8-28 from their three opponents, anything less than a 3-0 start would be a disaster.
No BU-TT Game Is Unacceptable
The Big 12 deserves to be applauded for a nine-game conference schedule. Arguments could now be made to push to a 10-game conference schedule with super conferences, but today is not that day. Instead of being cheeky about it, let’s just acknowledge that the lack of protected games in the Big 12 is a problem. Rivalry games are the cake of the college football season everyone looks forward to the most. All those peaches from the regular season don’t have the same juice as a good rivalry game. So with a 16-team conference, some classic games have been forced to the backside.
In the Texas Tech schedule, there is a noticeable absence of the Baylor Bears. Both teams figure to be competing at the top of the standings in 2025. Having two of the top teams in the conference not play is a miss for Big 12 fans. But the biggest reason this stinks is Baylor and Texas Tech have played every season since 1956. It’s a real shame this rivalry is being left behind in 2025.
Second Bye Week Creates Defining Stretch
The first bye week in the Texas Tech schedule comes after a week four trip to Utah. But after that, the Red Raiders must play seven consecutive weeks before getting their last bye week before their final game of the season. That seven-game stretch is as follows:
- At Houston
- Kansas
- At Arizona State
- Oklahoma State
- At Kansas State
- BYU
- At UCF
Houston should have improved in year two under Willie Fritz. Kansas has reloaded in the transfer portal and looks to build on the momentum of the end of the 2024 season. Arizona State should be one of the favorites in the conference. Mike Gundy has earned enough respect to think his Pokes will have a bounce-back season. Texas Tech has lost eight consecutive games against Kansas State and hasn’t won in Manhattan since Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree were on offense. BYU also figures to decide the Big 12 race with most of their team back. The Bounce House is about the last place any team wants to conclude a seven-game stretch without a bye.
Texas Tech Schedule Sets Up For Potentially Historic Year
Outside of the second bye week falling when it does, if the Red Raiders want to achieve new heights, this is about as good of a schedule draw as they could ask for. BYU is the only team with a bye week before playing Texas Tech, but the game is in Lubbock. West Virginia does as well, but the Red Raiders also have a bye week so we will call it a wash.
The noted horrors of Kanas State will still need to be overcome, but the Wildcats play their in-state rivals the week before. No team in the Big 12 will be able to “hide” their way to a conference championship appears. The talent discrepancy between teams is so small. But, at first glance, the Texas Tech schedule is a good blend of a “tune-up” type of non-conference schedule, with enough challenges to prove themselves without having to run a gauntlet against every top-tier team. The bottom line for this Red Raider team is that this schedule can’t be used as “an excuse” for any shortcomings in 2025.
Main Photo: James Snook-Imagn Images
