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Texas Tech Opens Title Defense Against ACU With a Warning From 2024 - roundtable.io

Texas Tech Opens Title Defense Against ACU With a Warning From 2024 - roundtable.io

No.

No. 12 Texas Tech opens its Big 12 title defense Saturday night against Abilene Christian, the same program that nearly pulled off one of the wildest upsets in Jones AT&T Stadium history just two years ago.

The last time these teams met, in 2024, the Red Raiders nearly gave away a game they had no business losing. ACU erased an 18-point deficit and forced overtime, then came within a failed two-point conversion of beating Texas Tech outright. The final score was 52-51. That is not a score you expect to see when a Power Four program hosts an FCS opponent.

Now Tech comes in ranked 12th nationally and carrying a Big 12 championship, but the Wildcats carry something too: proof they can hang with this team until the last snap. For fans who remember that overtime finish, Saturday night is less about coronation and more about unfinished business. The Red Raiders will need to play like a defending champion, not assume they are one.

Lubbock gets its first look at this year's team under the lights, and the stakes feel higher than a typical season opener for exactly that reason.

Common questions

Where is Saturday's Texas Tech vs. ACU game being played?

The game is at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock. It is the same venue where ACU nearly pulled off the upset two years ago, which makes the setting especially familiar - and uncomfortable - for Red Raiders fans who remember that overtime finish.

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