The Juice: Let's see what 2016 has in store for the Red Raiders

RELATED: No matter what, Big 12 expansion will be good for Texas Tech

There is tempered optimism surrounding the Texas Tech football program. The Red Raiders know that they will go as far as their quarterback will take them. He put up monster numbers as a sophomore – one of the most impressive seasons for a first-year starter in Big 12 history, in fact – and has many fans excitedly wondering what he will do as a junior. This quarterback was far from perfect in his first year as a starter – he lost to TCU and struggled mightily at points in October – but still managed to deliver a key road win against an in-state rival.

No one doubts the quarterback, but there’s a serious sense of anxiety over his surrounding cast on offense. The team will be entering the upcoming season with four new starters on the offensive line and a re-worked receiving corps without an established No. 1 receiver after the graduation of its 90-catch, double-digit touchdown star.

Defensively, the senior-laden front seven from the past season has given way to an inexperienced group. The defensive line starters are largely players in their first or second year with the program. At linebacker, the only returning starter will move to the middle after playing mostly outside linebacker last season. Experience isn’t as much of an issue in the defensive backfield. The team’s best defensive playmaker, wearing No. 7, returns for his third season at safety.

External expectations aren’t very high for the Red Raiders. The Big 12’s preseason media poll pegged them behind Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas, among others, and the general consensus among experts is that the team will finish around 6-6 or 7-5.

Texas Tech fans, like fans everywhere, maintain their tempered optimism and excitedly count down the days until the Red Raiders’ season-opener on Sept. 3.

The year is 2007.

Graham Harrell would go onto lead the country in passing yards and touchdowns as a junior. Texas Tech’s much-questioned offensive line ended up allowing fewer sacks in 2007 than it did in 2006. The receiving corps that entered the season without a proven No. 1 option had two players combine to catch 243 passes for 3,207 yards and 28 touchdowns. The defense, well, it was far from great -- but the team did improve its national ranking in points allowed per game by 24 spots. And as a team, the Red Raiders went 9-4 and capped off the season with the program’s first January bowl win in more than 50 years.

Let’s see what 2016 has in store for Texas Tech.

I remain completely and totally fascinated with Big 12’s move toward expansion. What has really struck me the most about this round of realignment is how relatively quiet the Big 12 is keeping things. That isn’t to say there haven’t been reports over the last two weeks, but the league’s machinations haven’t been relayed step-by-step like they were in 2010 and 2011.

Draymond Green had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad weekend. The Golden State Warriors forward accidentally sent out a photo of his penis on Snapchat on Sunday afternoon. He is not the first person to broadcast his or her junk, accidentally or otherwise, on the Internet and he definitely will not be the last. The pervasiveness of this practice has always fascinated me, though. Do you think, if the technology had existed at the time, people in Victorian America, Medieval Europe or Ancient Greece would be taking as many naked photos of themselves as we do now? Or is this a relatively new trend that has coincided with the rise of camera phones? (For the record: Never have and I can’t imagine I ever will.)

I burned through the last six episodes of ‘Stranger Things’ this weekend. (No spoilers, I promise.) It is as good as everyone said it was, if not better. Some quick takeaways… I’m usually pretty dubious of television shows or movies with children in leading roles but the four kids in ‘Stranger Things’ were tremendous. The soundtrack was amazing. I got absolutely nothing out of Matthew Modine’s character. I want a Dustin spin-off.

It worked out in the end, but why in the world would anyone want to do this?

Anthrax is a thing again in Siberia thanks to soaring temperatures.

‘No Man’s Sky’ is arguably the most hotly anticipated video game of the year. It is scheduled to be released on Aug. 9 but someone managed to buy an early release on E-Bay for $1,300. Wow!

In case you missed it this weekend, Matt Clare posted an exhaustive look at Texas Tech’s 2017 recruiting efforts at the receiver position.

With the MLB Trade Deadline approaching, Chris Level and I played with the Monkey Paw Trade Machine on Friday. It was easily our best segment of the week.

Did I mention that I love Big 12 expansion? This story from the PGA Championship – yep, the PGA Championship – is a perfect example of why.

Jim Turner is a Neanderthal.

This seems like an absolutely terrible idea.

Here’s a Newsweek story from last year on Russia’s 2014 invasion and subsequent occupation of Crimea, just in case anyone wants to brush up on world events.