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Changes coming to Texas Tech football home schedules, Kirby Hocutt says
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- Changes coming to Texas Tech football home schedules, Kirby Hocutt says
If Kirby Hocutt can swing it, the Texas Tech football schedule will have seven home games every season in coming years.
"As we invest $250 million into this south end zone (building) and to the new Womble football facility, we have had extensive conversations on changing our non-conference scheduling philosophy as we move forward," the Tech athletics director said. "I would not sign a non-conference agreement that doesn't guarantee us having seven home games on an annual basis.
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"We've got to continue to put our team and program in the best position to compete for a Big 12 championship, and the focus on seven home games is one that we're going to be committed to as we look forward."
Scheduling adjustments will be required to make that happen in 2025 and 2027. In each of those seasons, the Red Raiders have two non-conference home games and four conference home games under the Big 12's four-year scheduling plan released on Nov. 1.
Tech will look to replace its 2025 road game at Colorado State with a home game against a team from a group-of-five conference, Hocutt said. Hocutt and Tech coach Joey McGuire also will discuss whether they want to keep the Red Raiders' 2027 road game at North Texas , though Tech generally likes games in the Dallas-Fort Worth area because of its large alumni base in the Metroplex.
"There may be reasons that we decide to keep that game with North Texas that would allow us to have only six home games," Hocutt said, "but nonetheless it's something we're going to look at. The exposure, visibility in the DFW market is something that may be a consideration that we take into account, but that game is far enough out that we don't have to make that decision here anytime soon."
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Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire, left, and Tech athletics director Kirby Hocutt, right, watch a Red Raiders football practice. Hocutt says Tech is committed to having seven home football games every year, which will require adjusting some existing contracts for non-conference games in the near future.
Texas Tech football considers Oregon wish to postpone 2024 game at Autzen Stadium
On Friday, Oregon sportswriter John Canzano reported that Oregon would like to get out of its scheduled Sept. 7 home game against Texas Tech next season to keep alive its instate rivalry with Oregon State as a non-conference game. Oregon starts competition next season as a Big Ten member.
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To facilitate the Ducks' wishes, Canzano reported, Texas Tech instead could play at Washington State on Sept. 7.
Hocutt said an Oregon athletics administrator reached out to Tech deputy AD Jonathan Botros late last week when Hocutt and Botros were in the Bahamas with the Tech men's basketball team. He said that happened less than 24 hours before it became public, calling it "relatively new information."
"So I've not had a chance to sit down with coach McGuire and talk through it," Hocutt said. "Obviously, we're contracted right now to go to Eugene, Oregon, and play the Ducks next year, and that's what we're planning to do right now. That being said, I respect their conversation in wanting to continue their instate rivalry, if that's what it's about.
"It's new information that's come forward. We'll sit down and look at what the opportunities are in front us, what makes sense from a scheduling standpoint."
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Earlier Friday, Hocutt talked with Dave Brown, a go-to person on college football scheduling, formerly with ESPN and now as head of his own company. Hocutt said he expects Brown might send him something in writing this week.
"We've made no decisions — don't even know what all the options are in front of them," Hocutt said. "But it does appear that there's interest in Oregon's position for us to reconsider the game next year — not eliminating the game, only pushing it back to a further year. But we'll look at everything and make the best decision for Texas Tech and our football program."
The Oregon Ducks mascot made an appearance at Jones AT&T Stadium this season during the Ducks' 38-30 victory over Texas Tech. Oregon reportedly wants to postpone Texas Tech's return trip to Eugene, Oregon, next year to play instate rival Oregon State in a non-conference game instead.
Texas Tech football wants to replace Colorado State trip with 2025 home game
Colorado State athletics director Joe Parker was Hocutt's deputy AD at Tech from April 2011 to March 2015, when he landed the CSU job. In 2016, the two programs scheduled a home-and-home series for a 2025 game in Fort Collins, Colorado, and a 2026 game in Lubbock.
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Hocutt said Tech probably will pay a $1 million contract buyout to not make the 2025 road trip.
"Joe and I talked and I shared with him our conversation and our initial thoughts, and he understands," Hocutt said. "Obviously, there's a contract that you're bound to as well, just like with the Oregon situation. So we'll look at this 2024 scenario that has presented itself ... as well as our '25 situation and make the decisions that are in the best interests of Texas Tech football. I'll sit down with coach McGuire and make sure we make those together."
Hocutt said an alternative to paying the buyout to Colorado State would be to negotiate to have the Rams come to Lubbock in 2025 as well as 2026. That appears unlikely, he said, because it would leave CSU with only five home games in 2025.
TEXAS TECH FOOTBALL
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NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULES
Note: Home games in ALL CAPS. Dollar amounts in parentheses are game guarantees that home-team athletics department contractually agrees to pay visiting-team athletics department.
2024
Aug. 31, ABILENE CHRISTIAN ($375,000)
Sept. 7, at Oregon ($400,000)
Sept. 14, NORTH TEXAS ($300,000)
2025
Aug. 30, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF ($575,000)
Sept. 6, at Colorado State (no game guarantee)
Sept. 13, OREGON STATE ($300,000)
2026
Sept. 5, ABILENE CHRISTIAN ($375,000)
Sept. 12, at Oregon State ($300,000)
Sept. 19, COLORADO STATE (no game guarantee)
2027
Sept. 4, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF ($550,000)
Sept. 11, at North Texas ($300,000)
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Sept. 18, NORTH CAROLINA STATE ($300,000)
2028
Sept. 2, MISSOURI STATE ($525,000)
Sept. 9, at Mississippi State ($250,000)
Sept. 16, WYOMING ($300,000)
2029
Sept. 8, MISSISSIPPI STATE ($250,000)
Sept. 15, at Fresno State (no game guarantee)
2030
Sept. 7, FRESNO STATE ($750,000)
Sept. 14, ARKANSAS ($300,000)
2031
Sept. 13, at Arkansas ($300,000)
2032
Sept. 11, FRESNO STATE (no game guarantee)
Sept. 18, at Texas-El Paso ($300,000)
2034
Sept. 9, ARIZONA ($400,000)
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Changes coming to Texas Tech football home schedules, Kirby Hocutt says
