Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-1, 5-1)
Bad Guys: Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-3, 4-2)
Where: Boone Pickens Stadium | Stillwater, OK
When: Saturday, November 14th @ 8:30 pm
TV & Streaming: ESPN
Radio: The Varsity Network
The Line: Oklahoma State -3.5
Game Notes: Texas Tech | Oklahoma State
Weather Report: Mostly Cloudy, 57-38
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan Giese: Can Texas Tech football slow down Oklahoma State? Our predictions
Oklahoma State 49, Texas Tech 35: Good as Castellanos has been for Tech, he still has some whoopsy-daisy in him that is more likely to come out on the road. And the Red Raider defense isn’t suddenly going to figure out their bad eyes and coverage busts on defense.
The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto: Oklahoma State football coach Eric Morris is ‘nuts’ and that’s why Texas Tech loves him
Morris wasn’t in the mood to reminisce Tuesday in his weekly press conference about his time at Tech. A school 11 miles from his hometown of Shallowater, Texas. Where he played for five seasons under Leach, racking up 22 touchdowns and almost 2,000 receiving yards. Where his best friend, Clay McGuire, is the offensive line coach.
“He’s a fiery guy, and there might be a little more of that this week,” OSU quarterback Drew Mestemaker said of Morris. “At the end of the day, even if it wasn’t his alma mater, it’s a big-time game either way.”
USA Today’s Austin Curtright: Drew Mestemaker is one win away from crashing the Heisman race
Mestemaker garnered some hype as a future top-tier prospect after his first season as a starting quarterback since middle school at North Texas last season, but questions still remained. His play against Power Four opponents — including his 426 total yards with three touchdowns in a 39-31 win over Oregon earlier this season — eased those questions, with 17 of 25 anonymous scouts in a recent poll by ESPN favoring Mestemaker as the top quarterback in the upcoming NFL draft.
Mestemaker isn’t talking about the NFL Draft anytime soon, a stance that Morris said his other NFL quarterbacks he has coached like Patrick Mahomes and Cam Ward also took in college.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly: Connelly previews Week 11: 32 make-or-break showdowns
No. 12 Texas Tech at No. 25 Oklahoma State (9:30 p.m., ESPN)
Oklahoma State has averaged 48.1 PPG over its past eight games. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins, and receivers Wyatt Young and Justin Bowick have been every bit as prolific as hoped. The Cowboys’ defense is extremely one-dimensional — 42nd in yards allowed per carry (no sacks) and 110th in yards allowed per dropback — but if you can slow the Tech run game, force quarterback Thomas Castellanos to pass and contain him in the pocket instead of attacking and giving him lanes to escape, his history as a pocket passer isn’t great. Even last week, during an otherwise brilliant performance, Tech was 8-for-10 on third-and-6 or less and 0-for-6 on third-and-long.
Tech’s defense has given up 34 PPG in its past four games, and while Castellanos torched West Virginia, the Mountaineers rank 126th in defensive SP+; OSU plays better defense, and Tech’s next two opponents, Baylor and TCU, are even better. The Red Raiders are still positioned for another CFP trip, but only if they raise their game immediately.
Current line: OSU -3.5 | SP+ projection: Tech by 0.1 | FPI projection: OSU by 0.4
ESPN’s Dave Wilson: The oldest grudge in football
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams: Texas Tech budgets for world with, without Protect College Sports Act
All told, that’s $49.08 million per year.
“I think a lot of people are kind of taken aback by a close to $50 million salary cap,” Campbell said, “and I can you tell you that we’ll spend quite a lot more than that if the PCSA doesn’t pass. And so, I think there will be a broad separation between those institutions that can keep up and those that can’t.
“I don’t think that’s good for college athletics. I think that takes opportunity away from young people. I think that hurts women’s sports and Olympic sports in a big way. I think there has to be some measure of control — salary-cap type control, like there is in every major pro sport. It’s just rational. And so, I hope it passes just for the sake of the institution of college sports.”
Lady Raider Basketball: Lady Raiders Rally Past Auburn, 73-71, in Fourth-Quarter Thriller
Texas Tech Cross Country: Kimaru wins the NCAA Mountain Regional Championship