The business of college football in the 2020s offers more than enough to keep athletics directors busy. Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt has added an additional task in the past few months: Rebuilding the Texas Tech football team’s non-conference schedule on short notice.
Less than a year ago, the Red Raiders’ future non-conference slates were full through 2029, with only three holes to fill through 2032. Then decisions by the Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference to go from eight conference games a year to nine triggered a domino effect that took a wrecking ball to the Red Raiders’ best-laid plans.
Mississippi State from the SEC canceled a home-and-home series with the Red Raiders in 2028 and 2029 — at no charge because of contract language that accounted for the possibility of the SEC changing its scheduling model. North Carolina State from the ACC is paying a $1 million buyout to eliminate a 2027 game in Lubbock.
Forget Hocutt’s scheduling tenet of seven home games a year — the NC State move left the Red Raiders with five in 2027, so Tech has replaced a 2027 road game at North Texas, paying a $1 million buyout to do so, with a home game against New Mexico announced this past week. Hocutt can still add a seventh home game for 2027, provided a Power Four conference opponent can be coaxed to Lubbock.
Here’s what the future schedules look like now, including what opponents receive for coming to Lubbock and what Texas Tech is due when it plays away from Jones Stadium.
TEXAS TECH FOOTBALL
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULES
Home games in ALL CAPS. Dollar amounts in parentheses are game guarantees that the home-team athletics department contractually agrees to pay the visiting-team athletics department.
2026
Sept. 5, ABILENE CHRISTIAN ($375,000)
Sept. 12, at Oregon State ($300,000)
Sept. 26, SAM HOUSTON STATE ($1 million)
2027
Sept. 4, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF ($550,000)
Sept. 18, NEW MEXICO ($1.2 million)
2028
Sept. 2, STEPHEN F. AUSTIN ($500,000)
Sept. 16, WYOMING ($300,000)
2029
Sept. 1, INCARNATE WORD ($450,000)
Sept. 15, MISSOURI STATE ($800,000)
2030
Aug. 31, vs. Arkansas at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
(Texas Tech will receive a $3 million participation fee from ESPN Productions, Inc.)
Sept. 7, FRESNO STATE ($750,000)
2031
Sept. 13, at Arkansas ($300,000)
2032
Sept. 4, WASHINGTON STATE ($500,000)
Sept. 11, FRESNO STATE (no game guarantee)
Sept. 18, at Texas-El Paso ($300,000)
2033
Sept. 17, at Oregon ($400,000)
2034
Sept. 16, ARKANSAS ($300,000)
Notes:
∎ Texas Tech and Arizona canceled a 2034 non-conference game in Lubbock by mutual agreement on Aug. 1, 2025. The game was originally scheduled for 2020 and pushed back because of the COVID pandemic.
∎ Texas Tech’s 2032 road game at UTEP was originally scheduled for 2020 and pushed back because of the COVID outbreak.
∎ Texas Tech’s 2034 home game against Arkansas was originally scheduled for 2030. It was rescheduled when the two schools signed a separate agreement to play in the 2030 Vegas Kickoff Classic.
∎ The 2030 Tech-Arkansas game was announced for Aug. 31, but the agreement leaves the date flexible, targeting Labor Day weekend (Aug. 29 to Sept. 1). If the NCAA standardizes the start of the season to what is now known as zero week, which is under consideration, the game could move to the weekend of Aug. 23-25, according to the agreement.
∎ Texas Tech’s 2028 home game against Wyoming was originally set for 2020. The two schools agreed in 2019, before the COVID pandemic, to reschedule it to assist another school with a scheduling issue.
∎ Texas Tech’s 2033 road game at Oregon was originally scheduled for 2024. Tech, Washington State, Boise State and San Diego State made schedule adjustments so that Oregon and Oregon State could maintain their rivalry game that year.
∎ Mississippi State opted out of a September 2028 home game against Texas Tech and a September 2029 game in Lubbock. A contract provision exempts Mississippi State from owing a buyout because of a change in the SEC scheduling model.
∎ NC State opted out of a Sept. 18, 2027, game in Lubbock and owes Texas Tech a $1 million buyout by Feb. 15, 2028.
∎ Texas Tech opted out of a Sept. 11, 2027, game at North Texas and owes UNT a $1 million buyout by 60 days after the game date.
∎ Texas Tech and Colorado State canceled a 2025 game at CSU and a 2026 game in Lubbock by mutual agreement with the $1 million contract buyout waived.
∎ Texas Tech’s 2029 game against Missouri State, previously planned for 2028, was rescheduled, and the game guarantee increased from $525,000 to $800,000. Texas Tech and Fresno State originally were scheduled for a three-game series, but Tech canceled the first of the three, a 2029 game, and agreed to pay a $1 million buyout.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football future non-conference schedules, game guarantees
Reporting by Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
