Texas Tech Has Clear Priorities During Its Midseason Bye Week

An undefeated record can hide a lot of imperfections.

Texas Tech enters its lone bye week of the 2026 season at 5-0 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play, fresh off a 29-7 road win at Colorado and ranked No. 11 in the latest Associated Press poll.

MORE: Texas Tech Climbs to No. 11 in AP Poll After Colorado Comeback

The Red Raiders have earned every bit of that position, but Joey McGuire’s team also has several obvious goals to attack before Arizona State comes to Lubbock on Oct. 17. 

The first should be cleaning up the offense.

Texas Tech won comfortably at Colorado, but the Red Raiders finished with just 315 total yards, including 134 through the air.

Will Hammond completed 17 passes and threw one touchdown without an interception, but the offense never consistently took control until the second half.

Against better Big 12 opponents, Texas Tech can’t count on turnovers to create short fields and momentum.

That leads to the second priority: turn explosive defensive plays into a sustainable identity.

The defense intercepted Colorado four times, including John Curry’s pick-six, and held the Buffaloes scoreless after their opening drive.

Texas Tech has already shown it can create havoc, and that matters after a 2025 season in which the Red Raiders led the FBS with 32 takeaways.

The challenge now is maintaining that aggression without becoming dependent on turnovers every week. 

The bye should also help Texas Tech get healthier and strengthen depth.

The Red Raiders still have seven regular-season games remaining, beginning with Arizona State, followed by road trips to Cincinnati, Oklahoma State and Baylor, plus home games against Arizona, West Virginia and TCU.

The schedule gets more demanding from here, so preserving legs and expanding the rotation could be just as important as schematic adjustments.

Finally, the biggest goal may be mental.

MORE: Texas Tech’s Defensive Stars Shine In Colorado Win, Earn Big 12 Honors

Texas Tech is 5-0 for the second straight season, something the program had never done before. McGuire has already called the Colorado performance “really ugly football at times,” which is exactly why the bye comes at a useful moment. 

The Red Raiders don’t need a reset. They need refinement.