Every Tuesday and Thursday-ish through late June, we’re working through all 12 opponents on WVU’s 2026 schedule. You can thank Brendan Sorsby for delaying this one.
Here’s our First Look at Texas Tech
When: Saturday, November 7, 2026
Where: Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, Texas
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – OCTOBER 25: A general view of Jones AT&T Stadium before the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Jones AT&T Stadium on October 25, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) Getty Images
Series Record: Texas Tech leads the all-time series 8-7. The Red Raiders have won six of the last seven meetings by a combined score of 257-109. WVU’s only win in that stretch was a 20-13 home victory in 2023. The Mountaineers haven’t won in Lubbock since 2018.
2025 Record: 12-2 (8-1 Big 12)
Head Coach: Joey McGuire (5th season)
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JANUARY 1: Head coach Joey McGuire of the Texas Tech Red Raiders walks off the bus before the College Football Playoff Quarter Final Game against the Oregon Ducks at Hard Rock Stadium on January 1, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images) Getty Images
Texas Tech won the Big 12 last season and got shut out, 23-0, by Oregon in the CFP quarterfinals. The defense was top three in the country by SP+, and the offense was good enough against everyone except elite competition. Joey McGuire spent the offseason trying to fix that second part. Then Brendan Sorsby happened.
If you haven’t kept up with the saga, here’s the short version: Sorsby, the transfer quarterback McGuire signed to upgrade the offense, was found to have placed over $90,000 in bets during his time at Indiana and Cincinnati, including 40 bets on his own team’s games. After initially being ruled ineligible by the NCAA, he was granted a temporary injunction by a district judge in Lubbock, clearing the way for him to play. On Monday, a couple days after the Big 12 filed a federal lawsuit and threatened to ban the Red Raiders from the conference championship game, Sorsby announced he’s entering the supplemental draft, bringing the whole debacle to an end with the obvious conclusion. Sorsby’s NIL deal with Texas Tech was reported to be one of the largest in college football history at close to $6 million, and the school will not seek to recover any of it.
What Texas Tech is left with is Will Hammond, a sophomore who tore his ACL in October and is expected to be cleared around fall camp. McGuire has said repeatedly the staff always has had confidence in Hammond, who took over for an injured Behren Morton in the third quarter of the Utah game last season with the Red Raiders clinging to a 10-3 lead and put the game away with two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 34-10 win. He went 1-1 in two starts before tearing his ACL in the second quarter against Oklahoma State on October 25, ending his season.
The offense around Hammond is legit. Cameron Dickey and J’Koby Williams combined for 1,992 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns last season and both return. Quinten Joyner, who was projected as the starter before his ACL tear last year, is back as a third option in what is one of the better running back rooms in the country. Mack Leftwich’s system is RPO-heavy and built to get the ball out quickly. It doesn’t require a spectacular quarterback, it requires a smart one who can manage the run game and not turn it over. Hammond fits that profile better than Sorsby did. The offensive line returns center Sheridan Wilson, a Phil Steele preseason All-American, along with tackle Howard Sampson and adds Louisville guard Jordan Church. Terrance Carter Jr. is back at tight end and will be Hammond’s security blanket.
The defense is the real question this season. Last year’s team lost four draft picks off the roster — David Bailey went second overall to the Jets, Jacob Rodriguez 43rd to Miami, Lee Hunter 49th to Carolina, and Romello Height 70th to San Francisco — and both the DL and OLB coaches left with them. McGuire replaced them with Imarjaye Albury Sr. from the Vikings and Jacquies Smith from the Falcons for their NFL development backgrounds. Adam Trick and Trey White arrive as the new starting edge rushers, with Mateen Ibirogba and Julien Laventure adding interior depth alongside returning tackle AJ. Homes. The linebackers are the strength of the defense — Ben Roberts, Austin Romaine, and John Curry form what McGuire called his version of Thor’s triplets. The secondary has three starters back in Brenden Jordan, Amier Boyd and Brice Pollock, who led the Big 12 in interceptions last season.
WVU will travel to Lubbock off a bye week, which is about the best scheduling break they could ask for. Texas Tech’s schedule is extremely light — they don’t play BYU, Utah, or Kansas State in conference — and by November they should be in the thick of another Big 12 title run. ESPN’s SP+ projects them 7th nationally with 10.7 average wins. FanDuel has them at 10.5 wins, the favorite to win the Big 12 and make the College Football Playoff. The Mountaineers beating them on the road in Lubbock, in November, would be up there with the other legendary games in Rich Rodriguez’s career.
WVU has an extra week to prepare for this game. Barring a complete disaster of a season for the Red Raiders, Texas Tech will be favored regardless of who’s at quarterback. But Hammond is unproven as a full-time starter coming off a torn ACL, the pass rush is being rebuilt from scratch, and WVU arrives fresh off the bye week. None of that changes the fact that it’s a road game in November against the best team they’ll face all season, but never say never.
West Virginia 35, Texas Tech 38
Projected record through Week 10: 5-4 (3-3 Big 12)
Improved notifications system!Fewer adsCreate community postsComment on articles, community postsRec comments, community posts
Powered by RedCircle Subscribe Now! Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music RSS