Alright, let’s talk about how I went about figuring out where Texas Tech might land for their bowl game this year. It wasn’t super scientific, more just me piecing things together based on what I saw throughout the season.
Getting Started
First off, I just kinda sat down and thought about Tech’s season overall. You know, how many wins, how many losses. That’s the baseline, right? Can’t predict a bowl if you don’t know the record. I remembered some big wins and some tough losses. That gives you a feel for the team’s level.
Looking at the Possibilities
Then, I started thinking about the Big 12 conference tie-ins. Each conference has deals with certain bowls. So, I pulled up a list – just searched online for “Big 12 bowl tie-ins”. This gave me a realistic set of bowls Tech could actually go to. You gotta narrow it down, otherwise you’re just guessing randomly.
I looked at where the other Big 12 teams finished too. The teams with better records usually get picked first for the “better” bowls. So, I tried to figure out the pecking order. Where did Tech slot in compared to Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, and the others?
Considering the Matchups
Once I had a few likely bowl spots in mind, based on Tech’s record and the Big 12 pecking order, I started thinking about who they might play. Bowls often like certain kinds of matchups, maybe geographical proximity or avoiding recent rematches. I looked at the conferences tied to those specific bowls. For example, if a bowl usually takes a Big 12 team and an SEC team, I’d glance at SEC teams with similar records to Tech.
Key Factors I Weighed:
- Final Record: Obvious, but the most important piece.
- Late Season Performance: Did they finish strong or limp to the finish? Bowls sometimes like teams with momentum.
- Location: Would Tech fans travel well to that bowl location? Bowls care about selling tickets.
- Past Appearances: Have they been to that specific bowl recently? Sometimes bowls like fresh faces.
Making the Call (My Gut Feeling)
After juggling all that, I settled on a prediction. I looked at bowls like the Liberty Bowl, the Texas Bowl, maybe the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Based on how the season shook out, and considering which teams might be available from partner conferences, I landed on the Texas Bowl. It just felt right – good location for Tech fans, usually features a decent Big 12 vs SEC matchup, and seemed like a logical spot given their record relative to the rest of the conference.
As for an opponent, that’s tougher, but I kinda leaned towards maybe someone like Auburn or Kentucky from the SEC, teams that finished in the middle of their pack.
Wrapping Up
So, that was my process. Nothing too complicated. Just looking at the record, the conference situation, the specific bowl tie-ins, and using a bit of gut feeling based on how these things usually play out. We’ll see how close I get when the official announcements come out! It’s always fun to see if your logic matched up with the bowl committees.
