“Are you better off now than you were four years ago?”
Ronald Reagan asked that question of the American people during the lone presidential debate of the 1980 election cycle. The American people answered at the ballot box, sending Reagan to the White House in one of the biggest electoral blowouts in the country’s history.
It was a legitimate, fair question.
While not all of the challenges facing the United States in 1980 were of Jimmy Carter’s making, as President he was ultimately held accountable for the state of the country.
Like Carter in 1980, Kliff Kingsbury is not to blame for every issue facing the Texas Tech football team in 2016. For instance, the Red Raiders’ defensive malaise can be traced back to the annual coordinator turnover that began under Tommy Tuberville. Despite that, like every other coach in America, Kingsbury is ultimately accountable for the state of the program under his watch.
Four seasons into Kingsbury’s tenure, it’s fair to ask the same question that Carter faced: Is Texas Tech better off now than it was four years ago?
It’s hard to find an area in which the answer to that question is a definitive yes.
Midway through Kingsbury’s fourth season in Lubbock, the Red Raiders are 3-3 overall and 1-2 in Big 12 play; based on the schedule ahead, the team will likely finish with a losing Big 12 record for a seventh-consecutive season. Kingsbury is 22-22 overall as Texas Tech’s head coach, 11-19 in Big 12 play and has won just three games against teams that finished with a winning record.
Four years ago, the Red Raiders were coming off of a 44-game stretch in which they posted a 25-19 overall record, a 12-19 mark in Big 12 play and won seven games against teams that finished above .500.
From a wins and losses standpoint, there’s not much of a difference between where Texas Tech is now and where it was four years ago.
That can’t be said for the program’s recruiting efforts.
Under Kingsbury, the Red Raiders have signed four recruiting classes (2013-16) that have ranked, on average, No. 46 nationally and No. 7 in the Big 12. The program has inked seven four-star prospects during that span.
Compare that to where things stood four years ago. Texas Tech’s recruiting was, relatively speaking, actually on a bit of an uptick in 2012. The four classes signed from 2009-12 ranked, on average, No. 32 nationally and No. 5 in the Big 12. The program added 20 four-star prospects during that period, including seven in its 2011 class alone.
It’s fair to acknowledge the possibility that the Red Raiders are much better off internally – from ticket sales to academic performance to discipline – than they were four years ago. But those areas are either difficult to measure or are considered by stakeholders to be of relatively low importance compared to wins and losses.
Is Texas Tech football better off now than it was four years ago? In terms of the prominent, outward-facing aspects of the program, the answer is clearly no. Fortunately for Kingsbury, unlike Carter, he will almost assuredly get more than four years to define his legacy.
Ronald Reagan asked that question of the American people during the lone presidential debate of the 1980 election cycle. The American people answered at the ballot box, sending Reagan to the White House in one of the biggest electoral blowouts in the country’s history.
It was a legitimate, fair question.
While not all of the challenges facing the United States in 1980 were of Jimmy Carter’s making, as President he was ultimately held accountable for the state of the country.
Like Carter in 1980, Kliff Kingsbury is not to blame for every issue facing the Texas Tech football team in 2016. For instance, the Red Raiders’ defensive malaise can be traced back to the annual coordinator turnover that began under Tommy Tuberville. Despite that, like every other coach in America, Kingsbury is ultimately accountable for the state of the program under his watch.
Four seasons into Kingsbury’s tenure, it’s fair to ask the same question that Carter faced: Is Texas Tech better off now than it was four years ago?
It’s hard to find an area in which the answer to that question is a definitive yes.
Midway through Kingsbury’s fourth season in Lubbock, the Red Raiders are 3-3 overall and 1-2 in Big 12 play; based on the schedule ahead, the team will likely finish with a losing Big 12 record for a seventh-consecutive season. Kingsbury is 22-22 overall as Texas Tech’s head coach, 11-19 in Big 12 play and has won just three games against teams that finished with a winning record.
Four years ago, the Red Raiders were coming off of a 44-game stretch in which they posted a 25-19 overall record, a 12-19 mark in Big 12 play and won seven games against teams that finished above .500.
From a wins and losses standpoint, there’s not much of a difference between where Texas Tech is now and where it was four years ago.
That can’t be said for the program’s recruiting efforts.
Under Kingsbury, the Red Raiders have signed four recruiting classes (2013-16) that have ranked, on average, No. 46 nationally and No. 7 in the Big 12. The program has inked seven four-star prospects during that span.
Compare that to where things stood four years ago. Texas Tech’s recruiting was, relatively speaking, actually on a bit of an uptick in 2012. The four classes signed from 2009-12 ranked, on average, No. 32 nationally and No. 5 in the Big 12. The program added 20 four-star prospects during that period, including seven in its 2011 class alone.
It’s fair to acknowledge the possibility that the Red Raiders are much better off internally – from ticket sales to academic performance to discipline – than they were four years ago. But those areas are either difficult to measure or are considered by stakeholders to be of relatively low importance compared to wins and losses.
Is Texas Tech football better off now than it was four years ago? In terms of the prominent, outward-facing aspects of the program, the answer is clearly no. Fortunately for Kingsbury, unlike Carter, he will almost assuredly get more than four years to define his legacy.
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