Texas Tech Red Raider Football is Just 55 Days Away, Meaning it’s Time for Some Potentially Inaccurate, Way too Early Predictions

With the kickoff to the Texas Tech Red Raider Football season just 55 Days away, it is time for some early, potentially inaccurate predictions. We at 1340 the fan would love to hear what you think, so include your thoughts on the upcoming season at the bottom of the page.

The off season for the Red Raider football team was tumultuous to say the least. With nearly an entire coaching overhaul on the defensive side of the ball, as well as changes to the coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball, it can be tough to even figure out who is, and isn't coaching with the Red Raider football program, much less make predictions about the season.

The biggest, and probably the most important change came with the departure of Chad Glasgow as defensive coordinator, and the arrival of Art Kaufman. Kaufman inherits a defense from Glasgow that ranked 115 in the nation that gave up nearly 500 yards per game, and around 7 yards per play. Kaufman has his work cut out for him to say the least. What truly separates Kaufman from James Willis, Chad Glasgow, and to some extent Ruffin McNeill, who served just 3 years as defensive coordinator at Appalachian State before becoming the DC at Tech, is that Kaufman has around 13 years of experience being a defensive coordinator. Due to his influx of experience and the addition of junior college talent, namely Will Smith and Chris Payne, the defense will improve. How much is still completely up in the air. A victory for the Tech defense would be to see an improvement from 115th to around 75th in the nation. Given the maturation of returning member of the defense, who are some of the best recruits in Texas Tech history, and the incoming talent, this is a very achievable goal.

The offense did not have nearly as rocky a season as the defense. The coaching change was not nearly as traumatic, with the biggest change coming with the departure of Matt Moore and his eventual replacement with Chris Thomsen. Thomsen comes with an excellent track record, but most of his accolades come at the Division II level. Regardless, Thomsen knows offense, and at Abilene Christian, they ran a similar offense to what Neal Brown has in mind for the future of Texas Tech football. With the influx of new talent, the Red Raiders should continue to be solid offensively.

The biggest struggle last year for the offense and defense was not lack of talent, but injuries. The Red Raider played 12 games last football season, and had 12 different rosters for every single game. The defense was hit the hardest with nearly the entire secondary gone by the end of the season, but the offense was hit hard as well, with every running back with the exception of Kenny Williams going down at some point during the season. Also, with the injury to Darrin Moore, who was on pace to have a phenomenal season, Texas Tech lost one of their best play makers on the offensive side of the ball. With the increased depth, and talent on all sides of the ball, look for injuries to not hit the Red Raiders nearly as hard this season.

Prediction time

Look for the defense to make huge improvements. Also, look for the defense to massively improve against the run. With the departure of Glasgow,the 4-2-5 defense goes with him. The 4-3 defense suits the talent Texas Tech has on hand, and will be better capable of defending the run, which Texas Tech historically struggled with last season.

On the offensive side of the ball, look for a continuation of last year, with around a 60-40 pass run ration. With three years on the job, Neal Brown should feel comfortable with the players on the offense, seeing as he recruited most of the people that will likely start for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders will continue the trend of the last decade and finish in or near the top ten in the country in offense. With an experienced quarterback, and increased depth in every position across the board, Texas Tech is in a great position to have a historic offensive season. Look for Neal Brown to open up the playbook, and don't be shocked to see red-shirt freshman quarterback Michael Brewer take a few snaps over the course of the season.

If the Red Raiders can keep their legal troubles in order, they should have no true problems.

The Red Raider are in great position to win at least 7 football games and finish the regular season 7-5. Personally, I think the Red Raiders will finish the season 9-3, with wins coming against Northwestern State, Texas State, New Mexico, Iowa State, TCU, Kansas, Baylor, Kansas State, and Texas, and loses coming against, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia. The true key to winning anything in the Big 12 this year is for Texas Tech to control the run. If they can manage that, no team in the Big 12 is unbeatable.

Let us know what you think below. What will Texas Tech's record be at the end of the regular season? Will Texas Tech make a bowl? If not, will it be Tommy Tuberville's last season on the south plains? We want to hear from you.