Don Williams: Why Texas Tech football played at Wyoming and the six-figure economics of non-conference games

Seeing their team lose as a two-touchdown favorite at Wyoming made Texas Tech football followers hoppin' mad and prompted some to ask: Why were the Red Raiders playing in Laramie to begin with?

Short answer: The two athletics departments signed a two-game contract, each getting to host once. That was in the fall of 2013 when the Cowboys were coming off a 4-8 season and on their way to going 5-7, the front end on a stretch of four straight losing seasons.

The two schools amended the agreement during the Covid summer of 2020, moving the Cowboys' trip to Lubbock from Sept. 12, 2020, to Sept. 16, 2028.

Back in 2013, Wyoming didn't pose a threat, but no one knew how the Cowboys would look in 10 years. Regardless, Tech AD Kirby Hocutt looks to schedule one opponent from the power-five in non-conference play, as mandated by the Big 12, plus one group-of-five team and one FCS.

This week, Ole Miss plays at Tulane and UCLA visits San Diego State. Next week, Wake Forest goes to Old Dominion; Iowa State visits Ohio; Alabama leaves Bryant-Denny Stadium to play at South Florida; Kansas goes to Nevada; and Oklahoma does Tulsa the favor of playing there.

Tech likes to play other Texas schools in non-conference games for fans' convenience and the perceived recruiting benefits. Sometimes, it lets its players and fans see another part of the country. It's OK to challenge yourself.

And, let's be honest, a Tech victory and no one would mind they played the Cowboys on the road.

At least Texas Tech will get a six-figure check to show for it. Which leads us into more questions from readers:

Q: Hard to believe that we are paying them (Oregon) $400,000 to play. Whose diabolical idea was that?

DW: Although payouts most often become a talking point after a lower-level team upsets a power-five team, most non-conference games have a game guarantee in the contract. Wyoming owes Texas Tech $300,000 by Dec. 31, Tech will pay Oregon $400,000 by March 1 and Tech will pay Tarleton State $475,000.

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Q: The depth chart does not show Isaiah Crawford anywhere. Earlier in the year, he was being praised. Now, nothing. Is he still on the team? Will he be redshirted?

DW: Tech signed 25 high-school seniors in the 2023 class. Only three are on the depth chart Joey McGuire released going into game week, which is good. It means you've built up the roster enough to not be forcing 18-year-olds to play prematurely.

I expect nearly the entire class to redshirt. Brenden Jordan is the only one I'd say with any degree of certainty will play past the four-game redshirt window. Chapman Lewis and Jordan Sanford might, based on the depth situation in the secondary and four starting DBs being in their last year of eligibility. Mike Dingle might not redshirt, because McGuire sees his speed as an asset for special teams.

As to Isaiah Crawford specifically, he's coming from a Class 2A high school and missed his senior year recovering from injury. He has ample potential and you'll see it at some point, but he needs time to develop his body and learn and grow in the system.

Q: Some fumbles by Wyoming and guys slipping on the field. Any of that due to it being wet?

DW: Might have been some instances of that, but no one mentioned it after the game. I don't think it was a significant factor. The rain before the game was pretty light and short in duration.

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Q: Was Tech fanbase so desperate for a winner that they bought into McGuire too quickly?

DW: The Tech fan base is desperate for a winner, no doubt. Five head coaches since 2009 and six losing records in the past nine years have people eager to embrace someone who gives them hope. McGuire did that last year, and he's easy for fans to get behind, because he talks the way they do and seems to love their school the way they do.

Is needling Texas a case of don't poke the alligator before you cross the river? Maybe. But McGuire knows a lot of people in his audience loathe the Longhorns and love hearing it.

Did folks get ahead of themselves in expectations after last season, in particular when Tech beat Texas, Oklahoma and Ole Miss? Some did, but they're probably also making too much of the loss to Wyoming. It's a long season, and that game won't determine much, other than making it harder for the Red Raiders to win 10 games, something they've done only once since 1977.

What can't be overlooked is that McGuire is recruiting the Texas high-school ranks better than his past few predecessors. Upgrading the talent is his first must, and he's doing that.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Don Williams column: Why Texas Tech football played at Wyoming and the six-figure economics of non-conference games