The Texas Tech Red Raiders continue their Big 12 streak in Week 9 when they host Baylor for the Big 12 Championship at Jones A&T Stadium on Oct. 29.
The Red Raiders will play their second straight home game on Oct. 22 when they face West Virginia in Lubbock. It sets up a difficult time for Texas Tech, as the Red Raiders’ third game against a Big 12 bowl team is not until 2021. Four games.
The Bears won last year in Waco, Texas, 27-24.
Baylor is coming off a 12-2 season and won the Big 12 for the third time, but won the Big 12 Championship Game for the first time with a 21-16 victory over Oklahoma State. The Bears went on to beat Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.
The Red Raiders went 7-6 last season and have a new head coach in Joey McGuire, who was an assistant at Baylor under both Matt Rhule and current coach Dave Aranda.
Now, here are our RedRaiderReview.com predictions for the game.
Tim Hamm – Editor-in-Chief
Tech came very close to beating Baylor last season in a 27-24 loss, but make no mistake, the Bears are a much better team than the Red Raiders. Tech will improve under first-year head coach Joey McGuire, but we may not see that improvement on the scoreboard. Especially against teams like Baylor. This can get out of hand early.
PointBayer 37, Texas Tech 17
Cole Thompson – Reporter/Columnist
A team is coming off a Big 12 title and a 12-win season. Another finished with seven wins and learned the ins and outs of the new staff.
Tech will be dealing with a quarterback controversy this season. The offensive line should be under new offensive coordinator Zach Keightley. Baylor wins, but this won’t be a walk in the park.
Point: Baylor 35, Texas Tech 27
Michael Gresser – Staff Secretary
The Baylor Bears are going 12-2 in the Big 12 title game in recent memory. For the first time in school history, Baylor has been picked by the Big 12 media to win the conference in 2022.
The Bears will lose a lot of skill position talent, but they will still be very good up front. They will also improve at quarterback with Blake Shapen under center. Shapen is an upgrade over Jerry Bohannon, who threw for 254 yards against the Red Raiders a season ago. Baylor wins in the Red Devils, allowing the Bears to go ahead in the second half.
PointBayer 32, Texas Tech 20
Connor Zimmerlee – Staff Writer
Last season, the Red Raiders came up just short in a 27-24 loss and nearly caused a huge upset against the Bears. I expect this game to be close under first-year coach Joey McGuire because at this point the Red Raiders are finding their rhythm on both sides of the ball. However, the Bears, a serious contender to repeat as Big 12 champions, can win this one on the road and move up to fourth.
PointBayer 38, Texas Tech 24
Matthew Postins – Staff Writer
This play is noteworthy because Joey McGuire worked for Dave Aranda at Texas Tech. But it would be unwise to call McGuire a disciple of Aranda. They didn’t work together long, and McGuire served as a bridge between Aranda and his predecessor, Matt Rule, the Texas high school coaches. It’s also interesting to note that due to McGuire’s infectious energy, the Red Raiders are trying to rebuild quickly, with calculating behavior in tandem with Aranda Arif. Right now, Baylor is the more talented team and, frankly, the team with more experience winning.
PointBayer 34, Texas Tech 28
Zach Dimmitt – Staff Writer
Tech fell to Bayer last season, but will now have a coach who understands how the Bears operate.
Especially in this match, the addition of coach Joey McGuire should not be overlooked. With his five years of experience with Bayern, he and the team as a whole should have an extra edge for this game.
Returning quarterback Tyler Shaw should give Tech plenty of room in the cage this time around for a real throw in the game. But give me the red thugs with this mini upset.
Point: Texas Tech 26, Baylor 24
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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
