Kickoff for the Homecoming game is 2:30 p.m. Central on FOX. Texas Tech comes off a bye at 5-0 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play, fresh from a 29-7 road win over Colorado. Arizona State is 3-2 and 1-1 after beating Hawaii 30-12.
Last October, the Sun Devils won 26-22 in Tempe after Texas Tech led by 12 in the fourth quarter. Joey McGuire's team recovered and still won the Big 12 championship.
Arizona State looks different now. Head coach Kenny Dillingham welcomed 48 newcomers, 30 transfers and 18 freshmen. The results swing hard. A 70-7 win over Morgan State, a 48-20 loss at Texas A&M, a 24-17 win over Kansas in London, then a 55-19 loss to Baylor in Tempe on October 3. Freshman running back Cardae Mack ran for 154 yards on 13 carries against Hawaii.
For people in Lubbock, Homecoming now comes with a ranked, unbeaten home team, a score to settle, and a chance to strengthen its spot in the Big 12 title race. Texas Tech has the cleaner record. Arizona State has the memory of what happened last year.
Saturday could go almost any direction.