Big 12 Blog
Dream and nightmare scenarios: Texas Tech
Dream scenario
"The sheer firepower of Kliff Kingsbury’s offense with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Stockton and a deep collection of receivers proves to be too much for most teams Tech faces. The Red Raiders get off to an easy 4-0 start, highlighted by a blowout road win over Arizona State. That decisive win builds up the confidence of their defense.
Tech suffers a narrow defeat at Kansas State but doesn’t flinch and responds with a 20-point win over West Virginia. Then the fun really begins. Oklahoma and College GameDay come to town next. The Baker Mayfield Bowl is won, remarkably, by David Gibbs. His defense picks off Mayfield four times en route to impressive victory over the Sooners. Texas Tech takes control of the Big 12 race a week later with a last-second victory at TCU, providing the perfect payback for 2015.
By now, Mahomes’ Heisman Trophy campaign is taking off. He adds to his highlight reel with a rout of Texas in his home finale, moving his team to 8-1 and No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Those playoff dreams take a hit a week later in Stillwater with a loss to Oklahoma State, but the Big 12 title hopes are still alive.
The Red Raiders hang on to win a close call at Iowa State, but they aren’t running out of gas. Baylor gives them their best shot in the finale at AT&T Stadium, and Texas Tech fights back for a 48-45 win to secure the Big 12 championship and a trip to the Sugar Bowl.
A combination of insane highlights and insane stats (5,000 passing yards, 500 rushing yards, 50 total TDs) earns Mahomes a ticket to New York, where he wins the first Heisman Trophy in school history. During his acceptance speech, he declares he’s coming back for his senior year and a shot at a national title.
Nightmare scenario
The Red Raiders get off to a bumpy 3-2 start. The Arizona State shootout goes to overtime, and Tech can’t get the stop to finish it off. Louisiana Tech is a low-scoring trap game, but Tech survives. Kansas plays them close for three quarters, but Tech pulls away late.
The Kansas State game is another setback, one in which Mahomes tries for too many big plays and finishes with four turnovers. He settles down and lights up West Virginia the following week, but the Red Raiders’ problems become obvious: the turnover-dependent defense looks solid one week and porous the next week, the run game endures struggles behind a rebuild offensive line, and Mahomes can’t do it all by himself.
Texas Tech loses four in a row against Oklahoma, TCU, Texas and Oklahoma State. The Sooners jump out to a 21-0 lead and the much-hyped Baker Bowl is a bust. Kingsbury finally gets his team to end its slump with a blowout win at Iowa State.At 5-6, Texas Tech’s bowl hopes are on the line in the finale vs. Baylor. Final score: Baylor 70, Texas Tech 69.
Despite an up-and-down junior year, Mahomes still gets a first-to-second round draft grade and elects to go pro. And Mayfield wins the Heisman and a national title. Kingsbury is the hot seat heading into 2017 and once again has to hire a brand-new staff on defense."
Dream scenario = WOOD
Dream and nightmare scenarios: Texas Tech
Dream scenario
"The sheer firepower of Kliff Kingsbury’s offense with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Stockton and a deep collection of receivers proves to be too much for most teams Tech faces. The Red Raiders get off to an easy 4-0 start, highlighted by a blowout road win over Arizona State. That decisive win builds up the confidence of their defense.
Tech suffers a narrow defeat at Kansas State but doesn’t flinch and responds with a 20-point win over West Virginia. Then the fun really begins. Oklahoma and College GameDay come to town next. The Baker Mayfield Bowl is won, remarkably, by David Gibbs. His defense picks off Mayfield four times en route to impressive victory over the Sooners. Texas Tech takes control of the Big 12 race a week later with a last-second victory at TCU, providing the perfect payback for 2015.
By now, Mahomes’ Heisman Trophy campaign is taking off. He adds to his highlight reel with a rout of Texas in his home finale, moving his team to 8-1 and No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Those playoff dreams take a hit a week later in Stillwater with a loss to Oklahoma State, but the Big 12 title hopes are still alive.
The Red Raiders hang on to win a close call at Iowa State, but they aren’t running out of gas. Baylor gives them their best shot in the finale at AT&T Stadium, and Texas Tech fights back for a 48-45 win to secure the Big 12 championship and a trip to the Sugar Bowl.
A combination of insane highlights and insane stats (5,000 passing yards, 500 rushing yards, 50 total TDs) earns Mahomes a ticket to New York, where he wins the first Heisman Trophy in school history. During his acceptance speech, he declares he’s coming back for his senior year and a shot at a national title.
Nightmare scenario
The Red Raiders get off to a bumpy 3-2 start. The Arizona State shootout goes to overtime, and Tech can’t get the stop to finish it off. Louisiana Tech is a low-scoring trap game, but Tech survives. Kansas plays them close for three quarters, but Tech pulls away late.
The Kansas State game is another setback, one in which Mahomes tries for too many big plays and finishes with four turnovers. He settles down and lights up West Virginia the following week, but the Red Raiders’ problems become obvious: the turnover-dependent defense looks solid one week and porous the next week, the run game endures struggles behind a rebuild offensive line, and Mahomes can’t do it all by himself.
Texas Tech loses four in a row against Oklahoma, TCU, Texas and Oklahoma State. The Sooners jump out to a 21-0 lead and the much-hyped Baker Bowl is a bust. Kingsbury finally gets his team to end its slump with a blowout win at Iowa State.At 5-6, Texas Tech’s bowl hopes are on the line in the finale vs. Baylor. Final score: Baylor 70, Texas Tech 69.
Despite an up-and-down junior year, Mahomes still gets a first-to-second round draft grade and elects to go pro. And Mayfield wins the Heisman and a national title. Kingsbury is the hot seat heading into 2017 and once again has to hire a brand-new staff on defense."
Dream scenario = WOOD
