The Texas Tech Red Raiders football program exceeded expectations last season, ending an impressive 2022 campaign with a dominant 42-25 win over Ole Miss Rebels in TaxAct Texas Bowl. Texas Tech finished the season with an 8-5 record and posted a 5-4 mark against Big 12 opponents, which was the Red Raiders’ first winning conference record since 2009.
Now, Texas Tech isn’t going to get close to anyone, as some analysts have labeled the Red Raiders as a dark horse to win the Big 12 in 2023. That said, Texas Tech’s schedule for the 2023 campaign is a challenging one, as seven of the Red Raiders’ 12 opponents had eight or more wins last season. Texas Tech’s road to a third straight bowl game won’t be easy, but the Red Raiders have reason to believe they can pull off that feat.
How will Texas Tech fare in 2023? Here’s a look at how the Red Raiders’ 2023 football season will play out game by game:
September 2 – at the Wyoming Cowboys
Winning a road game against Wyoming won’t be a cakewalk for Texas Tech, but it’s very doable. The Red Raiders will get off to a slow start and fall into a 17-3 starting hole, but will bounce back and outscore the Cowboys 42-14 from that point on.
Final score prediction: Texas Tech 45, Wyoming 31
Projected record: 1-0
September 9 – against Oregon Ducks
Most analysts don’t believe in Texas Tech’s chances of beating Oregon, but this match won’t be a loss. The Red Raiders will keep pace with the Ducks through the first three quarters, but Oregon will pull away late.
Final score prediction: Oregon 38, Texas Tech 28
Projected record: 1-1
September 16th – vs. Tarleton State Texans
To be completely blunt, this is the only cupcake game on Texas Tech’s 2023 roster. The Red Raiders will be the starters at the start of the second half of this contest.
Final score prediction: Texas Tech 62, Tarleton State 35
Projected record: 2-1
September 23 – West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia won’t be very good in 2023, but Texas Tech would be foolish to ignore the Mountaineers. The Red Raiders end up getting into an unexpected firefight with West Virginia, but will eventually beat the Mountaineers with a last-second field goal.
Final score prediction: Texas Tech 41, West Virginia 38
Projected record: 3-1 (1-0 in the Big 12)
September 30 – against Houston Cougars
Texas Tech has emerged victorious in each of its last five meetings with Houston. The Red Raiders will welcome their new Big 12 conference foes, handing the Cougars a sore defeat.
Final score prediction: Texas Tech 31, Houston 30
Projected record: 4-1 (2-0 in the Big 12)
October 7 – at Baylor Bears
Texas Tech suffered a lopsided 45-17 loss to Baylor last season, but it should put up a better fight this time around. The Red Raiders got off to a hot start and jumped out to an early 20-7 lead, but faltered badly in the second half.
Final score prediction: Baylor 34, Texas Tech 23
Projected record: 4-2 (2-1 in the Big 12)
October 14 – against Kansas State Wildcats
TCU had a memorable run to the 2023 CFP National Championship Game, but it was Kansas State that won the Big 12 Conference last season. The Wildcats, who haven’t lost to Texas Tech since 2015, will hold a comfortable two-possession victory over the Red Raiders.
Final score prediction: Kansas State 41, Texas Tech 30
Projected record: 4-3 (2-2 in the Big 12)
October 21 – at BYU Cougars
This will be the first meeting between Texas Tech and BYU since 1940. The Cougars figure out how to slow down the Red Raiders’ fast passing, but they have no answers for Texas Tech’s speed in this contest, which turns out to be the deciding factor.
Final score prediction: Texas Tech 33, BYU 31
Projected record: 5-3 (3-2 in the Big 12)
November 2 – against TCU Horned Frogs
Last season, TCU became the first team from the state of Texas to play in a College Football Playoff National Championship Game. The Horned Frogs are expected to take a step back as they lost some key players in the 2023 NFL Draft, but TCU should still be slightly better than Texas Tech this upcoming season.
Final score prediction: TCU 37, Texas Tech 30
Projected record: 5-4 (3-3 in the Big 12)
November 11 – at the Kansas Jayhawks
Texas Tech knows what’s at stake in this matchup, as a victory over Kansas would make the Red Raiders bowl eligible for a third consecutive season. The game isn’t very competitive, but the final score looks respectable as the Jayhawks score two touchdowns at trash time.
Final score prediction: Texas Tech 43, Kansas 34
Projected record: 6-4 (4-3 in Big 12)
November 18 – against UCF Knights
UCF will eventually become a big problem in the Big 12 as the Knights have a strong Florida State recruiting base and will attract even more prospects now that they are in a Power Five conference. That said, Texas Tech currently has a much better roster than UCF and will have little trouble dispatching the Knights in 2023.
Final score prediction: Texas Tech 38, UCF 24
Projected record: 7-4 (5-3 in the Big 12)
November 24 – at the Texas Longhorns
Texas may want to drop its series with Texas Tech after joining the SEC, so this could be the last time the Red Raiders and Longhorns meet for a while. This game will be a back-and-forth game, but Texas ends up prevailing over Texas Tech and earns its ticket to the Big 12 Championship Game in the process.
Final score prediction: Texas 45, Texas Tech 41
Projected record: 7-5 (5-4 in the Big 12)
