On the Gridiron

Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-0, 0-0)
Bad Guys: Utah Utes (3-0, 0-0)
Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium | Salt Lake City, Utah
When: Saturday, September 20th @ 11:00 am
TV & Streaming: FOX
Radio: The Varsity Network
The Line: Utah -3.5
Game Notes: Texas Tech | Utah
Weather Report: Mostly Cloudy, High 79, Low 61

CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah: Tradition vs. Ambition: Texas Tech, Utah ride contrasting roster-building methods into seismic Big 12 clash

The most electric matchup in college football this week? It’s between Texas Tech’s DL and Utah’s OL.

“This is best on best.” pic.twitter.com/apX9ilqkhe

— Shehan Jeyarajah (@ShehanJeyarajah) September 18, 2025

While Texas Tech utilized the transfer portal to build in the trenches and complement its dangerous skill talent, Utah did quite the opposite. Essentially, every major player in the trenches and on defense is a homegrown recruit.

That’s not to say Utah is skimping monetarily. The word around college football is that the Utes spent handsomely to ensure its top unit returned. Already, the offensive line unit is looking like one of the best in the nation. Right tackle Spencer Fano has been a projected first round pick for months, and left tackle Caleb Lomu is rising quickly. The interior boasts three redshirt seniors, with left guard Tanoa Togiai emerging as a star.

The same is true on defense, where the Utes returned 10 starters from last year. Defensive ends Logan Fano and John Henry Daley both started their careers at rival BYU, but the players joined the program before 2024. Utah sets its watch to defensive development, and the unit — led by linebacker Landon Barton — should again be one of the best.

FOX Sports’ RJ Young: Utah vs. Texas Tech: A Big 12 Title Preview in the Making

Utah must look at Texas Tech and know the Red Raiders are trying to become what the Utes had been for the better part of a decade: a perennial top-25 team capable of winning conference championships. But after a losing season, Kyle Whittingham’s decision to bring in former New Mexico offensive coordinator Jason Beck and QB Devon Dampier is the one that faces the most scrutiny this weekend. So far, Dampier has completed 73% of his passes, averages more than 275 yards per game, and has been responsible for eight touchdowns, while the Utes have averaged 45.7 points per game.

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams: Texas Tech football’s Brice Pollock is a chip off many old athletic blocks

The Red Raiders’ 6-foot, 195-pound junior cornerback from Snellville, Georgia, was named the Big 12 defensive player of the week.

“I thought he played great,” Tech defensive coordinator Shiel Wood said. “The two picks, the two takeaways that he had, were tremendous for our defense. I think he’s a guy that’s been playing at a really high level from the time he stepped on campus, through spring practice, the fall camp, these first three weeks. I think he’s the same guy every day. You’re going to get a guy that’s locked in, that understands what he’s doing.”

The Salt Lake Tribune’s Jason Batacao and Kevin Reynolds: Texas Tech ahead of Utah? Here’s how this week’s Big 12 power rankings look.

The Athletic’s Joe Rexrode: Indiana-Illinois, Texas Tech-Utah are huge, and that’s more than just an oddity

That should not fool anyone into dismissing the quality of the teams at hand. Illinois and Indiana may have a collective football history that comes up short of what the University of Chicago did in the 1900s, but they’re legitimately good. Texas Tech and Utah will match quarterbacks Behren Morton and Devon Dampier. College football fans should, and soon will, know both well.

You know what this could do? It could get us using the “P” word, a word that has never really applied to college football. And I’m not talking periwinkle, pinot noir or prudence. I’m talking parity. Actually, colleague David Ubben did use it this week in discussing the wildly unpredictable start to the season, but I’m still a bit hesitant to go all the way there.

ESPN: Auburn-Oklahoma, quarterbacks who haven’t lived up to the hype, plus quotes

Utah: Through three games a year ago, Utah had gone without a first down on nearly a quarter of its drives. This season, it has happened only three times in three games. The difference is Devon Dampier, who has looked as at ease running his brand of dual-threat football in a Power 4 backfield as he did a year ago at New Mexico. Dampier has racked up more than 800 yards of offense and accounted for eight touchdowns, and he has yet to turn the ball over. His skill set has made him particularly effective. He has already accumulated 80 yards on scramble plays, and three of his seven TD passes have come from outside the pocket. This will be his biggest test to date, but he’ll also be, by far, the biggest challenge for Texas Tech’s defense. — Hale

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan Giese: Texas Tech football visits Utah: Scouting report, prediction for Big 12 opener

Utah 31, Texas Tech 28: A hard-fought game until the end, Texas Tech finds out that playing a team of equal talent is much harder than the first three weeks. Red Raiders stay in it, but are undone by a lack of pressure situations to this point.

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams: Column: Did Kirby Hocutt have a role in the Big 12’s sacking of officials? | Williams

So here’s how the conference can do it better: Stop hiding the weekly exchanges between Big 12 coaches and Burks. Weekly, Big 12 coaches send in calls and non-calls over which they disagree or want clarification. You might remember Tech coach Joey McGuire’s angry assessment last year that the officiating crew for Tech-Colorado incorrectly called a roughing-the-passer at a key juncture on Tech safety Chapman Lewis and missed “five obvious facemasks.”

The review document, obtained after a public-records request and a ruling by the state attorney general’s office, showed Burks agreed the roughing-the-passer call was incorrect. As to McGuire’s anger over the allegedly missed “five obvious facemasks,” Burks agreed that two should have been flagged. Two, but not five. And Burks detailed the reasons why. Reading his explanations on each play and rewatching, Burks’ assessments look reasonable.

USA Today’s Craig Meyer: Who is Cody Campbell? Texas Tech billionaire booster is college sports power broker

Texas Monthlly’s Jose R. Ralat:Nothing Can Come Between Texas Tech Raiders Fans and the Tortilla Toss

Action Network’s Mike Ianniello: Texas Tech vs Utah Prediction, Pick, College Football Odds for Saturday, September 20

• 64% of bets and 68% of the money are on Texas Tech to cover the spread
• 83% of bets and 52% of the money on the moneyline are on Utah to win outright
• 36% of bets and 66% of the money are on the over

On the Court

Texas Tech volleyball: Red Raiders get first home win

Texas Tech volleyball: Volleyball falls to Ole Miss on Friday night

On the Pitch

Texas Tech soccer: Second half surge powers Tech to 1-0 win over Baylor