Admin
Good morning folks. We will have a college football open thread today starting at 9:00 a.m. this morning (because we all get hyped for Kennesaw and Western Michigan at 10:00 a.m. and then Memphis and NC State square off at 1:30 p.m. before Alabama and Oklahoma start the CFP at 7:00 p.m.
On the Hardwood
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello has this week’s top 25 power rankings and Arizona is at No. 1, upcoming Texas Tech opponent Duke is No. 3, Iowa State is at No. 4, and Texas Tech hangs on at No. 25:
We’re still waiting to see the Texas Tech team that was so highly regarded entering the season, as the Red Raiders have lost to their three toughest opponents following last weekend’s defeat to Arkansas in Dallas. They’ll get another marquee opportunity this weekend, facing Duke at Madison Square Garden. To have a chance, Grant McCasland’s team will need to be much better defensively; it has allowed at least 1.31 points per possession in two straight games. In addition to the usual production from Christian Anderson and JT Toppin, they’ll also need LeJuan Watts to carry over his momentum from Tuesday night’s performance against Northern Colorado. Watts finished with 36 points on 12-of-13 shooting against the Bears, becoming the first player in Big 12 history to have 35 points on 90% shooting.
On the Gridiron
ESPN’s Craig Haubert has the top 75 of the 2026 class with Texas Tech moving up to No. 17 overall because of the commitment of Matt Ludwig (although it doesn’t say that, it’s the only thing that’s happened since signing day):
Previous ranking: 19
SC Next 300 commits: 5
Top offensive prospect: OT Felix Ojo
Top defensive prospect: LB LaDamion Guyton
The Red Raiders have been active in the transfer portal, but Joey McGuire & Co. also remain committed to building their roster through high schools. He pulled off a huge in-state win landing five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo. It’s the second time McGuire has landed an in-state five-star prospect (Micah Hudson, 2024). Ojo is lean and needs some further development but has elite length, bends well and brings a high ceiling for development. In-state guard Jerald Mays is another nice addition to that unit, as he is a thickly built lineman with good feet.
LaDamion Guyton added a second five-star to the class, and the Red Raiders received more good news after his commitment when it was announced he was reclassifying from 2027 to 2026. His sooner-than-expected arrival could be valuable as he possesses the tools to replace the pass-rushing production they will lose when David Bailey moves on.
While the hope is Hudson will still break out and meet expectations, Tech is adding to the receiver room in four-star Chase Campbell, a target with good speed and body control who has amassed over 160 receptions with 35 TDs between his sophomore and junior years. In-state safety Donovan Webb can close well and has strong ball skills to finish and generate turnovers. He was position MVP at this spring’s UA Dallas camp.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg predicts the outcome of every playoff game. I’ll let you read this to see how he thinks things will turn out.
Jacob Rodriguez had a busy week of award shows and Texas Tech’s media was there to capture it.
Head coach Joey McGuire was named as a Dodd Trophy finalist and Jacob Rodriguez, David Bailey, and Lee Hunter were named on the FWAA All-American team.