Conference realignment has taken college sports by storm the last several weeks. After adding BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston in 2023, the Big 12 was already set to stay competitive in the next generation of conferences.
With uncertainty around a Pac-12 TV deal looming large in July, Colorado was the next domino to drop when the Buffaloes announced their intentions to re-join the Big 12, which they had left in 2011. With USC and UCLA set to jet to the Big Ten, it was only a matter of days later on Aug. 4 that the Big 12 announced fellow Pac-12 members Arizona, Arizona State and Utah would be joining the surging Big 12 in 2024.
Texas Tech is primed to fixate itself amongst the top contenders of the Big 12 when it expands to 16 teams next year. Today, we take a look at the Red Raiders’ history in football against the four schools set to join beginning 2024.
v. Arizona
It has been four years since Tech has played against the Wildcats, and the last meeting between the two left a sour taste in the mouth of the Red Raiders. Traveling to Tucson in the first season of Matt Wells’ tenure, Tech fell victim to a 28-14 final scoreline in 2019.
Prior to that matchup though, the two sides had not squared off for 40 yards, with the Red Raiders taking the 1989 contest in a 24-14 decision. Tech holds the all-time record advantage at 26-5, the first game between the two coming in 1932 after Tech joined the fabled Border Conference.
v. Arizona State
Another matchup of Border Conference schools, the Red Raiders and the Sun Devils have squared off three times in the past decade, with Tech going 2-1 in that span. The first of these contests came in the 2013 Holiday Bowl which saw Tech put on a clinic in a 37-23 win over the then-No. 14 Sun Devils.
The two met again in a home-and-home in 2016 and 2017. ASU took round one, as Kalen Ballage displayed a rushing masterclass to score seven touchdowns in a 68-55 win over Tech. The following season, the Red Raiders withstood a Sun Devil rally in front of a night game whiteout crowd to snag a 52-45 win. All-time, Tech holds the advantage 3-2.
v. Colorado
A regular opponent in the Big 12, the history between the Red Raiders and the Buffaloes dates back to their first matchup in 1962. As conference opponents when Colorado was first in the league, the Buffaloes went 4-3 against Tech including back-to-back wins in 2006 and 2007.
The Red Raiders got the last laugh however, winning the final matchup in 2010 by a score of 27-24. A field goal from Matt Williams with two minutes to go sealed a 13-point rally that drove Tech to a win. Historically, the two sides have split their all-time series at 5-5.
v. Utah
Undoubtedly the newcomer that has the least history with Tech, the Red Raiders and the Utes have not matched up in 50 years dating back to 1973. In the midst of what went on to become an 11-1 season, Tech faced Utah early in the season and walked out with a 29-22 win. The 1973 contest was the second bout of matchups in back-to-back years between the two sides. The 1972 game was even more favorable for the Red Raiders, a dominant 45-2 victory in the pair’s first time playing each other.
History has been favorable to Tech in its matchups with the four schools joining in 2024, and time will tell how much success the Red Raiders will continue to find against them in the seasons to come.
