Wk 3 · 2026
Houston Cougars at Texas Tech Red Raiders — Fri, Sep 18
Fri, Sep 18 ·
Galaxy Stadium, Lubbock, TX
· Fox FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
at
8:00pET
TTU -7.5 · total 52.5 DraftKings opened -13.5 · 6 toward HOU
Ratings differential TTU by 3.0
What is at stake
A Big 12 game — it counts in the standings that decide that league's championship game. Run the race. Houston is ranked #22 (AP Top 25 · 2026-10-04). Texas Tech is ranked #11 (AP Top 25 · 2026-10-04).
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
Houston form
W 35-16at KSUW 27-17vs UCFW 42-28at GASOL 26-28at TTUW 77-6vs SOU
2026 season
Texas Tech form
W 29-7at COLOW 49-14vs SHSUW 28-26vs HOUW 35-24at ORSTW 33-10vs ACU
2026 season
Houston this season
Straight up5-1 · 83% (6 games)
Against the spread3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Over / under4-2 · 67% (6 games)
Texas Tech this season
Straight up5-0 · 100% (5 games)
Against the spread2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Over / under3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 6
| Opponent | Houston | Texas Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon St Pac-12 | vs W 33-20 preview | at W 35-24 preview |
| Oklahoma St Big 12 | vs Wk 7 · scheduled preview | at Wk 11 · scheduled preview |
| Cincinnati Big 12 | vs Wk 10 · scheduled preview | at Wk 8 · scheduled preview |
| Colorado Big 12 | at Wk 11 · scheduled preview | at W 29-7 preview |
| West Virginia Big 12 | at Wk 12 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 10 · scheduled preview |
| Baylor Big 12 | vs Wk 13 · scheduled preview | at Wk 12 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Texas Tech leads 8–1 · Texas Tech has won the last 8
9 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
10.9 points toward Texas Tech
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-18 | Houston 26 — 28 Texas Tech | at TTU | Texas Tech |
| 2025 | 2025-10-04 | Texas Tech 35 — 11 Houston | at HOU | Texas Tech |
| 2023 | 2023-09-30 | Houston 28 — 49 Texas Tech | at TTU | Texas Tech |
| 2022 | 2022-09-10 | Houston 30 — 33 Texas Tech | at TTU | Texas Tech |
| 2021 | 2021-09-04 | Texas Tech 38 — 21 Houston | neutral | Texas Tech |
| 2018 | 2018-09-15 | Houston 49 — 63 Texas Tech | at TTU | Texas Tech |
| 2017 | 2017-09-23 | Texas Tech 27 — 24 Houston | at HOU | Texas Tech |
| 2010 | 2010-11-27 | Houston 20 — 35 Texas Tech | at TTU | Texas Tech |
| 2009 | 2009-09-26 | Texas Tech 28 — 29 Houston | at HOU | Houston |
Houston leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Conner Weigman QB #1 | 91/135, 1186 YDS, 11 TD, 1 INT |
| Keisean Henderson QB #5 | 6/8, 83 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Rushing | Re'Shaun Sanford II RB #6 | 55 CAR, 314 YDS, 2 TD |
| Makhi Hughes RB #21 | 66 CAR, 309 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Conner Weigman QB #1 | 42 CAR, 156 YDS, 6 TD | |
| Receiving | Amare Thomas WR #0 | 27 REC, 330 YDS, 4 TD |
| Patrick Overmyer TE #9 | 25 REC, 317 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Trent Walker WR #4 | 14 REC, 198 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Koby Young WR #2 | 8 REC, 176 YDS, 4 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Kentrell Webb DB #8 | 32 |
| Jaden Yates LB #1 | 29 | |
| Javion White DB #0 | 20 | |
| Sacks | Javion White DB #0 | 2.5 |
| Ashton Porter DL #9 | 2 | |
| Khalil Laufau DL #18 | 1.5 | |
| Interceptions | Jordan Allen DB #6 | 1 |
| Will James DB #5 | 1 | |
| Latreveon McCutchin LB #10 | 1 |
Texas Tech leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Will Hammond QB #15 | 97/142, 1102 YDS, 5 TD, 5 INT |
| Tommy Castellanos QB #1 | 2/4, 35 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT | |
| Rushing | J'Koby Williams RB #20 | 63 CAR, 373 YDS, 3 TD |
| Cameron Dickey RB #8 | 57 CAR, 242 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Quinten Joyner RB #0 | 35 CAR, 151 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Kenny Johnson WR #4 | 17 REC, 298 YDS, 1 TD |
| Coy Eakin WR #3 | 16 REC, 194 YDS, 2 TD | |
| J'Koby Williams RB #20 | 19 REC, 137 YDS | |
| Terrance Carter Jr. TE #7 | 13 REC, 129 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Austin Romaine LB #15 | 35 |
| Ben Roberts LB #13 | 32 | |
| John Curry LB #6 | 28 | |
| Sacks | A.J. Holmes Jr. DL #10 | 2.5 |
| Jamond Mathis LB #8 | 2.5 | |
| LaDamion Guyton LB #32 | 2 | |
| Interceptions | John Curry LB #6 | 2 |
| Brice Pollock CB #14 | 2 | |
| Austin Romaine LB #15 | 2 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.