Texas Tech hasn’t exactly had the best of seasons. They’ve been mercurial at best and downright dysfunctional at worst, combining moments of gridiron brilliance with moments of unfathomable stupidity. Stars have been solidified, the Herculean efforts of quarterback Patrick Mahomes are becoming legend among teammates and conference foes. New stars are emerging, Douglas Coleman and Breiden Fehoko are becoming stars on a maligned but slowly improving defense.
“Improving” is the key word when discussing anything Texas Tech related. There are some that will tell you that improvements are not coming fast enough, and that Kliff needs to be fired. Others point to the devastation left by the departure and recruiting failures of Tommy Tuberville as evidence that every shred of improvement is good. Both sides can unite under one banner, however: Texas Tech is in serious danger of not making a bowl game for the second time in the Kliff Kingsbury era.
The Red Raiders sit at 4-5, and the schedule ahead includes Oklahoma State, Iowa State, and Baylor. Now, none of those are powerhouse teams, all of these games are still winnable. The catch is that the Red Raiders will have to play a complete game on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, something they haven’t done since the Holiday Bowl in 2013, where they upset top 10 ranked Arizona State. Oklahoma State and Mason Rudolph are beatable, but a secondary that’s been getting carved up like a holiday ham despite being in the safest of coverages will have trouble stopping James Washington. Iowa State is 1-8, but their close losses to extremely good teams and having the game played in Ames should be cause for concern. Last is Baylor, who looked like a juggernaut earlier this season, only to fall victim to a maelstrom of outside circumstances, circumstances that they’re undoubtedly bringing upon themselves.
All of these games are technically winnable for Texas Tech. They could conceivably win out, provided they get key upsets on the road. They also could burn out and lose their last three games. How Texas Tech responds will be crucial to the head coaching job of Kliff Kingsbury, whose seat is definitely beginning to warm.
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