Preface
69 days ago, I posted a “Tale of the Tape” on West Virginia’s first opponent on the 2025 football calendar, Robert Morris. Little did I know that it would turn into a weekly dispatch for the remainder of the summer. What better way to kick off week one than wrapping up the 12-entry series? Read more: EDITORIAL: Tale of the Tape Finale – Texas Tech
What Awaits
WVU will have one final regular-season test on November 29th, when Texas Tech comes to town. The all-time series between the Mountaineers and the Red Raiders is tied at seven wins each.
West Virginia will be coming off a road game at Arizona State, a CFP quarterfinal team in 2024-25. Regardless of how that game goes, the season comes down to a meeting with one of the richest programs in college football.
Related: Tale of the Tape: 2025 WVU Football Opponent #11 – Arizona State
About Texas Tech
Since 1925, Texas Tech (formerly Texas Technological College) has fielded a football team. A century later, the Red Raiders are primed for success thanks to their resources and a proud culture.
Several projections list Texas Tech as one of the top spenders in the game today. While no official statistics have been posted, the constant buzz surrounding the program is nearing a boiling point.
The Red Raiders were a charter member of the Big 12 Conference when it launched in 1996. Despite the impressive staying power of the program, TTU has not yet won a Big 12 title on the gridiron.
Texas Tech went 8-5 in 2024, bookended by a bowl appearance. The Red Raiders fell to Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl. Tech fared decently well in conference play, finishing 6-3 in that regard.
The eighth and final win of the 2024 season came against a fellow Big 12 team… the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Regarding the Matchup
The 2025 showdown between West Virginia and Texas Tech will be the 15th chapter in the all-time series. If you turn back your clocks to New Year’s Day, 1938, you’ll reach the day the series was born.
The 1937-38 Sun Bowl took place in El Paso, Texas. The matchup? You guessed it. To this day, it is the only time the two teams have met outside of conference play. In a high-flying affair, the Mountaineers won… 7-6.
WVU and Texas Tech would not meet again until 2012, the Mountaineers’ first season in the Big 12. Since WVU joined the conference, the two squads have met every year. The Red Raiders have won seven of the 13 modern meetings.
After losing to Tech in 2012 and 2013, the Mountaineers responded. WVU took five straight between 2014 and 2018, amassing a point differential of +58 during that period.
The momentum shifted in 2019 when Texas Tech toppled WVU for the first time in over six years. The Red Raiders would rattle off four straight wins in the series between 2019 and 2022. The most recent trip to Milan Puskar Stadium did not work out for Texas Tech, as WVU defended its home turf, 20-13.
To note, a quarterback on the Mountaineers’ 2025 roster made his first collegiate start in the 20-13 victory. Nicco Marchiol racked up 150 total yards in his debut, doing enough to get the win.
West Virginia has hosted Texas Tech six times. Much like the all-time series, the games in Morgantown are split. Both teams have won three games each when they face each other at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Catalyst for Change
This brings us to 2024. Following a win over UCF in the home finale, West Virginia had to close the regular season in Lubbock, Texas.
WVU came into the matchup at 6-5, falling a bit flat compared to the inflated preseason expectations. What was shaping up to be a toss-up game between two decent teams ended up being a complete thrashing.
The Mountaineers ended the regular season on a sour note in 2024, getting trounced by Texas Tech, 52-15. The loss was impactful enough to be the final straw for (now former) WVU Head Coach Neal Brown.
Brown was fired within hours of the conclusion of the game against Texas Tech. While the Mountaineers played in the Frisco Bowl following this loss, the Red Raiders are responsible for putting the final nails in a failed era’s coffin.
Current State of Affairs
By the time the 2025 edition of WVU vs. TTU rolls around, nearly a full season under Head Coach Rich Rodriguez will be in the books. This regular-season finale could serve as a solid measurement of first-year success.
In the best-case scenario, this game could have a lot on the line, but only time will tell.
Tune In
All Mountaineer football games will be streaming on 100.9 FM The Torch and its nine affiliate stations. Kickoff time and TV coverage will be available closer to the date of the game.
Editor’s Note
It’s game week! Follow along on the website all week long for a wide range of content regarding week one.
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