Some of the hypotheticals can be put to rest now that the Texas Tech football team has officially clinched bowl eligibility following Saturday’s dramatic comeback road win over Iowa State.
We no longer have to look at when, or even if, the Red Raiders (6-3, 4-2) are going to clinch a fourth straight bowl appearance. Texas Tech is headed to the postseason. Another hypothetical, though, is still up in the air as we will not know which bowl game Tech will compete in for another month.
Until then, we’ll continue looking at where the national media is projecting Texas Tech. One thing’s for sure: the win over Iowa State has put the most fun possibility back in play.
LAST WEEK’S PROJECTIONS:Texas Tech football bowl projections: Texas Bowl here we come
Brett McMurphy of Action Network bumped the Red Raiders back up the bowl projection line, placing Texas Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. The kicker? He has the Red Raiders taking on SMU, which is making its push toward the College Football Playoff. The Red Raiders and Mustangs last squared off on Aug. 30, 2013, in Dallas, a game Texas Tech won 41-23.
Jerry Palm of CBS Sports gave Texas Tech the same push up the board McMurphy did, even falling on the same potential opponent of SMU. The Red Raiders have won the last 15 matchups with SMU dating back to 1989.
Kyle Noagura and Mark Schlabach at ESPN also pushed Texas Tech up a notch and agreed that the Red Raiders would face South Carolina in the Texas Bowl. This would be a first-time matchup as the Red Raiders and Gamecocks have never met on the football field.
Brad Crawford of 247Sports is the long prognosticator we look at in our weekly bowl projections that hasn’t changed Texas Tech’s position. Crawford kept the Red Raiders in the Texas Tech taking on an Arkansas team that just got rocked by Ole Miss.
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