Texas Tech is 3-5 this year, with wins over Kansas, UTEP and Central Arkansas. Kliff Kingsbury’s Red Raiders literally caused TCU to run out of fireworks on Saturday in an 82-27 loss.
But according to VegasInsider.com, Texas Tech opened this week as a 24 1/2-point favorite over Texas for this weekend’s game in Lubbock.
That has to be an error, right? Is Texas really that bad?
The answer: No. Texas ranks 55th by Sagarin, while Texas Tech ranks 77th. Texas Tech has won its three games by a combined 24 points over an FCS school, a middling C-USA team and one of the worst Power Five programs in the country. Texas, meanwhile, has played Oklahoma and UCLA tough and has the same 3-5 record.
Texas isn’t likely to go bowling this year -- after Texas Tech, Charlie Strong’s Longhorns have home games against West Virginia and TCU sandwiched around a trip to Oklahoma State. But this is a team that could very well beat Texas Tech on the road and probably has no business being 24 1/2-point underdogs.
But the fact we just had to explain why Texas shouldn’t be a massive underdog on the road against a 3-5 Texas Tech team is still a pretty good indication of just how steep an uphill climb Strong has in Austin, isn’t it?
