Texas Tech Can’t Afford Another Abilene Christian Nightmare
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
No. 12 Texas Tech begins its 2026 season Saturday against Abilene Christian, but nobody in Lubbock should call this opener harmless.
The last meeting nearly became an all-time embarrassment.
MORE: Will Hammond Enters 'Dream' As Texas Tech's Starting QB
Texas Tech needed overtime to escape the Wildcats 52-51 in its 2024 opener, surviving only after Abilene Christian’s two-point conversion failed.
Two years later, the Red Raiders enter the rematch as defending Big 12 champions, College Football Playoff veterans and overwhelming favorites.
Anything resembling another shootout would be a five-alarm disaster.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on FS1 inside the newly renamed Galaxy Stadium, where a sold-out crowd will watch junior Will Hammond take control of the offense.
Hammond will make his fourth career start and his first since a knee injury ended his 2025 season.
He inherits a team ranked 12th in both major preseason polls, matching the second-highest opening ranking in program history.
Texas Tech finished last season at No. 7, its best final ranking, after winning its first Big 12 title and reaching the playoff.
The defense triggered that breakthrough.
Texas Tech led the nation with 32 takeaways and allowed only 68.1 rushing yards per game. It was one of two FBS teams ranked inside the top five in scoring defense, total defense and rushing defense.
Six NFL draft picks are gone, however, leaving coordinator Shiel Wood with five returning starters and plenty to prove.
A.J. Holmes Jr., Brice Pollock and Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player Ben Roberts anchor a group that can’t afford to look like the unit ACU torched two years ago.
The Wildcats arrive 0-1 after a 21-14 loss at Lamar, but they gained 358 yards and came within a yard of extending the game.
Freshman quarterback John David Black threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns after entering during the second quarter.
ACU also brings uncomfortable Texas Tech nostalgia. Head coach Keith Patterson served as the Red Raiders’ defensive coordinator from 2019-21.
Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell remains one of the greatest quarterbacks in school history, throwing for 15,793 career yards before finishing fourth in the 2008 Heisman Trophy voting.
Texas Tech owns a 29-1 record against FCS opponents and has won 25 consecutive such matchups since 1991.
That streak shouldn’t be threatened Saturday.
MORE: Texas Tech Starter is 'Week-to-Week', Could Miss First Game
The real questions are whether Hammond looks comfortable, whether the rebuilt defense remains suffocating and whether Texas Tech handles prosperity like a legitimate national contender.
Championship teams bury opponents like ACU. They don’t give them another conversion attempt to steal the night.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos