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An abbreviated Morning Stake this morning. I took Fits and 3 of his friends to go see the re-release of Avengers Endgame for his Gotcha Day, which is on the 10th. It is our family’s 15th Gotcha Day with Fitsum and we could not be happier.

On the Pitch

Texas Tech soccer is in Stillwater tonight to take on Oklahoma State with first-touch at 7:00 p.m.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
MATCHUP: No. 12/14 Texas Tech (7-0-4, 3-0-1 Big 12) at Oklahoma State (5-4-3, 1-2-1 Big 12)
DATE: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026
TIME: 7 p.m.
LOCATION: Stillwater, Okla. (Neal Patterson Stadium)

Freshman Lauren Alvarez was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week. Congrats!

On the Hardwood

CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish with a terrific Big 12 preview, including the thought that Texas Tech finishes 4th overall.

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello on the Top 25 with Texas Tech sitting at No. 9:

That’s right. If five-for-five eligibility lawsuits don’t go Tech’s way, the Red Raiders might not find themselves in the preseason top 25 at all. Of the trio in question, Donovan Atwell would have returned to start; Darrion Williams was an All-Big 12 player the last time he was in a Tech uniform; and Jamichael Stillwell started 30 games for an NCAA tournament team at UCF. If all three are eligible, Grant McCasland has a loaded group. JT Toppin should be healthy later in the season and is a surefire All-American. Cruz Davis (Hofstra) and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (UNLV) are high-scoring transfers, while top-30 recruit Dakari Spear should make an immediate impact.

Projected starting lineup

Cruz Davis (20.1 PPG at Hofstra)
Donovan Atwell (13.5 PPG)*
Darrion Williams (14.0 PPG at NC State)*
Jamichael Stillwell (11.6 PPG at UCF)*
JT Toppin (21.8 PPG)

On the Gridiron

ESPN’s Max Olson on how back-up quarterbacks transfer if they are not starting. Just an interesting read, not necessarily Texas Tech related.

CBS Sports’ John Talty has CFP predictions and has Texas Tech at No. 8:

A lot of people would probably put BYU here, but I’m sticking with the Red Raiders. Yes, the offense is still a bit of a mess. Quarterback Will Hammond has five touchdowns and five interceptions, and threw for only 134 yards in a win over Colorado. But the defense is strong, and Texas Tech still has the easiest path to a Big 12 Championship. The Red Raiders could easily finish the regular season 12-0, while BYU could have two losses (Notre Dame, Utah). Previous: 9