Texas Tech Red Raiders Are Stuck in a Quagmire of Mediocrity

Texas Tech had high expectations in Matt Wells' second year as head coach in 2020, but the shortened campaign yielded more of the same from the Red Raiders. They've finished their seasons winning between four and eight games dating back to 2010, a stunning display of consistent mediocrity.

While there are many programs that would take those records in a heartbeat, Texas Tech fans are tired of being the definition of average year in and year out.

WynnBET expects another mediocre season in 2021, as it has its win total set at 4.5 with the over favored at -190. That means Texas Tech fans can once again expect a season that will result in a record that’s hovering around .500 football.

The Red Raiders are also third last on the list of odds to win the Big 12 at +1700. Baylor (+2500) and Kansas (+3000) are the only teams expected to be worse than Texas Tech in the conference.

Former starting quarterback Alan Bowman entered the transfer portal in the offseason, which means Texas Tech will have a hotly contested quarterback battle at training camp this fall. The competition is expected to take place between Henry Colombi, Donovan Smith, Behren Morton, and Tyler Shough.

The Red Raiders offense will look different under new offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie, who played quarterback for the team from 2000-2004.

A bright spot for the Texas Tech offense is that four of its five starting offensive lineman from 2020 are set to return for another season. The Red Raiders ranked 39th in the country in sacks per game last season, only allowing an average of 1.8.

The strength of the Texas Tech defense is its linebacking group. Krishon Merriweather led the team in tackles last season, and he’ll be returning to the lineup alongside Colin Schooler and Riko Jeffers who also found great success as starters in 2020.

Texas Tech’s defense allowed 37.1 points per game last season, which ranked 108th in the country. If it can prevent teams from finding the endzone as often in 2021 as they did in 2020, they could manage to squeak out a winning season.

Red Raiders fans will hope for more from Texas Tech in 2021, but all signs point to yet another season of mediocrity in Lubbock.

The odds listed in this breakdown are available over at WynnBET. Make your pick in New Jersey, Indiana or Colorado.