West Virginia Mountaineers at Texas Tech Red Raiders
Fri Nov 6 · 11:00 PM CT
By Pablo SanchezUpdated 5d ago·2 min read
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Texas Tech enters November as the Big 12's runaway favorite. West Virginia enters it trying to prove last year's 4-8 disaster was a one-off.
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Texas Tech enters as the Big 12's presumptive best team even with its quarterback situation unsettled, while West Virginia is still trying to climb out of a 4-8 season. The Red Raiders' overall roster investment and CFP pedigree make them the safer outright pick even accounting for the QB uncertainty.
West Virginia
+Portal additions like Kamari Wilson upgrade the secondary
+Two capable QBs in Hawkins and Fox competing
−Coming off 4-8, worst season since 2013
−0-8 last year when allowing 85+ rush yards
−No named starting QB heading into fall
Texas Tech
+Big 12 preseason favorites after CFP appearance
+Roster spending among the heaviest in the conference
−Sorsby's college career ended amid gambling scandal
−Presumed starter Hammond still rehabbing torn ACL
−Backup Francis has limited experience at this level
Both sidelines have a quarterback story going into Friday's game. Texas Tech's season opened with Brendan Sorsby's eligibility fight against the NCAA over a gambling investigation, and that saga ended with Sorsby's college career over — he dropped his lawsuit to chase the NFL supplemental draft instead. West Virginia, meanwhile, has spent all offseason refusing to name a starter between Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr. and returning sophomore Scotty Fox Jr., with Rich Rodriguez saying as recently as Big 12 Media Days that he's comfortable playing both until one separates.
Texas Tech's answer under center has been murkier than you'd expect from a Big 12 favorite. Will Hammond was thought to be next in line before a torn ACL clouded his readiness, which pushed Tulsa transfer Kirk Francis — 7 starts, 58.9% completion rate, 9 touchdowns to 6 interceptions last year — into the mix as the more battle-tested option. It's a lot of turnover at the sport's most important position for a program that's supposed to be knocking on the College Football Playoff door again.
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West Virginia's issues run deeper than the quarterback room. The Mountaineers had one of the worst secondaries in the country a year ago and went 0-8 any time they allowed 85-plus rushing yards, which was often. Rodriguez leaned hard on the transfer portal to fix it, bringing in Memphis safety Kamari Wilson and asking corners Nick Taylor and Keyshawn Robinson to jump from backups to answers. Whether that overhaul is fixed by a road trip to Lubbock in early November remains the open question.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Oct 16?vs Cincinnati—
Oct 9?vs Arizona—
Oct 2?@ Iowa State—
Sep 25?vs Oklahoma State—
Sep 19?@ Virginia—
Sep 12?vs UT Martin—
Sep 5?vs Coastal Carolina—
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Oct 30?vs Arizona—
Oct 16?vs Arizona State—
Oct 2?@ Colorado—
Sep 25?vs Sam Houston—
Sep 18?vs Houston—
Sep 12?@ Oregon State—
Sep 5?vs Abilene Christian—
Recent form.
The gap in investment between these two programs isn't subtle. Texas Tech is running one of the most expensive rosters in the country, reportedly closer to $40 million than any other Big 12 school, and it's coming off a Big 12 title and the program's first CFP trip. West Virginia is still climbing out of its worst season since 2013 and rebuilding a defense that couldn't stop the run. On paper, this is a program on the rise hosting a program still finding its footing.
West Virginia Mountaineers
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Texas Tech Red Raiders
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
None of that guarantees Texas Tech looks like a title favorite on Friday, November 6. A shaky quarterback room can turn a laugher into a grind fast, and West Virginia's transfer-heavy secondary has enough new pieces that it could be better than last year's numbers suggest before it's ever tested against a real Big 12 offense. Still, the burden of proof here sits with the visitors.
