Saturday, November 29
Morgantown, W.Va.
12:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Texas Tech
United Bank Playbook: West Virginia Concludes Season Against Seventh-Ranked Texas Tech
November 26, 2025 12:15 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Lots of people have focused on the money, but not so much the process when breaking down Texas Tech's approach to Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) this year.
Of course, $28 million, which is what it is being reported the Red Raiders spent on top of the $20.5 million teams are budgeted through last summer's NCAA v. House Settlement, puts them near the top of the list of the biggest spenders in college football.
Based on On3.com Pete Nakos' reporting, Texas Tech has the second highest player payroll among college football programs trailing only in-state rival Texas, but ahead of defending national champion Ohio State, Oregon, Texas A&M, Miami, Michigan, USC, Tennessee and Auburn.
The Buckeyes, Aggies, Ducks and Red Raiders are in this week's Associated Press top 10; the Hurricanes are 13th, the Wolverines are 15th, the Longhorns are 16th, the Volunteers are 18th and the Trojans are 19th.
Among college football's biggest spenders, only Auburn failed to pan out this year, and the Tigers are already looking for their next football coach.
This is the state of college football as of today, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025.
As one sportswriter put it earlier this year, "(Texas Tech) didn't build this team the old-fashioned way – by player development and coaching – but by the new way: they bought a team."
That's not entirely true.
Of the nearly $30 million Tech reportedly spent above the cap, $7 million was devoted to the defensive line and all four guys up front have really delivered this year for the Red Raiders. UCF transfer Lee Hunter and Houston transfer A.J. Holmes Jr. are immovable 300-plus-pounders. Defensive end David Bailey, a Stanford transfer, leads the nation with 12 ½ sacks after producing 14 ½ sacks over three seasons playing for the Cardinal.
Georgia Tech transfer Romello Height plays the Dog position where his seven sacks rank second on the team.
"A lot was made of it before the season, and rightfully so, but a lot of guys get a Power Four transfer and maybe he was doing okay at Power Four … well, these guys were dominant at the Power Four level and they're dominant still at the Power Four level," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said. "They picked the right guys, evaluated very well and they're coached well, too.
"It's not just great players. I've been really impressed with how hard they play," he added.
The secondary, which has benefitted from Texas Tech's tremendous pass rush, is made up of four transfer portal players – Charlotte cornerback Dontae Balfour, Iowa State strong safety Brenden Jordan, North Dakota State free safety Cole Wisniewski and Mississippi State corner Brice Pollack.
Northern Illinois defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard was performing well, too, until sustaining an ankle injury in mid-October that has since required surgery.
"Obviously, there is a competitive advantage when you spend more money and they've got that, so I would use my competitive advantage if I've got it," West Virginia defensive coordinator Zac Alley observed. "Their defensive line is obviously impressive. You win games by chewing the trenches up and you watch the NFL guys, who do they pay? They pay quarterbacks, left tackles, defensive ends, pass rushers and corners because those guys affect the game more than anyone else."
On the other side of the ball, Texas Tech went out and got North Carolina's Howard Sampson to man the left tackle spot and Miami, Ohio's Will Jados to play left guard.
Wide receiver Reggie Virgil was added from Miami, Ohio, and he's second on the team with 45 receptions and a team-best six touchdowns, while backup tight end Terrance Carter Jr. was coming off an All-Sunbelt Conference season last year at Louisiana.
He's fourth on the squad with 33 catches for 432 yards and five touchdowns.
So, yes, several key players were added to the roster through billionaire and former Red Raider offensive lineman Cody Campbell's generosity, helping transform an eight-win team last season into a national title contender this year.
But Tech also worked very hard to keep other teams from poaching quarterback Behren Morton and star weakside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, considered one of the best defensive players in the country this year.
Both young running backs, Cameron Dickey and J'Koby Williams, returned this season, as did wide receivers Caleb Douglas and Coy Eakin.
The other three regulars on the offensive line, center Sheridan Wilson, right guard David Carter and right tackle Jacob Ponton, started in last year's Liberty Bowl for the Red Raiders, so clearly some player development was going on as well.
What Texas Tech did during the offseason is no different than what Ohio State did last year to win a national title, or what Texas A&M has done going from a middling SEC program in 2024 to a College Football Playoff contender in 2025.
It's just that the Red Raiders are new to the club, which always seems to raise people's blood pressure in blue blood country. And they did it much more effectively than rival Texas, which spent more on its roster this year, by the way.
Rich Rodriguez admits he will be studying what Texas Tech has done during the offseason, even if his roster budget won't come close to theirs.
"You are going to study people that are doing well," he admitted. "Why are you winning? Obviously, you've got the right players, you've got the right staff, you've got the right facilities, and there are usually a multitude of reasons to have so much success. Look what they've done in one year with it, but again, they evaluated the right guys and did a great job of evaluations, first off.
"I don't know what everybody on their roster is getting paid, but it seems to me that they distributed it in the right way and they're getting all of their guys to play really hard, so it didn't affect their culture if these guys are getting all this money and maybe these other guys weren't," he added. "It looks like to me they have a great culture, so there is a lot to learn from studying them."
Alley sees some commonality in the types of players Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire and his staff pursued last winter.
"I've read different things about their process and strategy of how they were going to spend on what they went to get, and it made a lot of sense," he observed. "They got team captains, good players on bad teams, and you could see character within the players. Generally, you're not going to miss as much if you can find a guy who was voted team captain. He's probably going to come in and be a better player, and a better person most of the time from a commitment standpoint."
When you put it all together, Texas Tech has come up with the right formula for success in today's college football. Simply saying the Red Raiders bought the success they are enjoying ignores the other things that were done successfully to get them to where they are with one game remaining in the regular season.
With a win against West Virginia this Saturday, the heavily favored and 10-1 Red Raiders will lock up a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game, and potentially, a spot in the College Football Playoffs. Tech is No. 5 in this week's College Football Playoff Poll.
"They beat us pretty good last year (52-15) and they're better this year," Rodriguez opined. "It will be a great challenge for us, but I'm also excited for the opportunity for our guys to play and see what happens."
The coach mentioned that while Saturday's game will be the ending to this season, he would be lying if he didn't admit that his improving football squad is also seeking some carryover into 2026.
"To look into the future … not that we're not, because we're recruiting every day with an open date … last week we had a bunch of recruits in, and we'll have a bunch of recruits in this weekend, so you're always looking to the future too," he said. "But I think it would be a disservice to our seniors if we don't do everything we can to try and win this game."
An upset victory over the seventh-ranked team in the country on Senior Day would be a big boost of adrenaline heading into the offseason for the Mountaineers.
Saturday's contest will kick off at noon and will be televised nationally on ESPN (Roy Philpott, Samuel Acho and Taylor Davis).
Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield radio coverage with Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning gets underway at 9 a.m. on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com, and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.
The game has been designated "True Blue" with all Mountaineer fans coming to the game encouraged to wear blue. Tickets still remain and can be purchased through the Mountaineer Ticket Office by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
Of course, $28 million, which is what it is being reported the Red Raiders spent on top of the $20.5 million teams are budgeted through last summer's NCAA v. House Settlement, puts them near the top of the list of the biggest spenders in college football.
Based on On3.com Pete Nakos' reporting, Texas Tech has the second highest player payroll among college football programs trailing only in-state rival Texas, but ahead of defending national champion Ohio State, Oregon, Texas A&M, Miami, Michigan, USC, Tennessee and Auburn.
The Buckeyes, Aggies, Ducks and Red Raiders are in this week's Associated Press top 10; the Hurricanes are 13th, the Wolverines are 15th, the Longhorns are 16th, the Volunteers are 18th and the Trojans are 19th.Among college football's biggest spenders, only Auburn failed to pan out this year, and the Tigers are already looking for their next football coach.
This is the state of college football as of today, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025.
As one sportswriter put it earlier this year, "(Texas Tech) didn't build this team the old-fashioned way – by player development and coaching – but by the new way: they bought a team."
That's not entirely true.
Of the nearly $30 million Tech reportedly spent above the cap, $7 million was devoted to the defensive line and all four guys up front have really delivered this year for the Red Raiders. UCF transfer Lee Hunter and Houston transfer A.J. Holmes Jr. are immovable 300-plus-pounders. Defensive end David Bailey, a Stanford transfer, leads the nation with 12 ½ sacks after producing 14 ½ sacks over three seasons playing for the Cardinal.
Georgia Tech transfer Romello Height plays the Dog position where his seven sacks rank second on the team.
"A lot was made of it before the season, and rightfully so, but a lot of guys get a Power Four transfer and maybe he was doing okay at Power Four … well, these guys were dominant at the Power Four level and they're dominant still at the Power Four level," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said. "They picked the right guys, evaluated very well and they're coached well, too.
"It's not just great players. I've been really impressed with how hard they play," he added.
The secondary, which has benefitted from Texas Tech's tremendous pass rush, is made up of four transfer portal players – Charlotte cornerback Dontae Balfour, Iowa State strong safety Brenden Jordan, North Dakota State free safety Cole Wisniewski and Mississippi State corner Brice Pollack.
Northern Illinois defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard was performing well, too, until sustaining an ankle injury in mid-October that has since required surgery.
"Obviously, there is a competitive advantage when you spend more money and they've got that, so I would use my competitive advantage if I've got it," West Virginia defensive coordinator Zac Alley observed. "Their defensive line is obviously impressive. You win games by chewing the trenches up and you watch the NFL guys, who do they pay? They pay quarterbacks, left tackles, defensive ends, pass rushers and corners because those guys affect the game more than anyone else."
On the other side of the ball, Texas Tech went out and got North Carolina's Howard Sampson to man the left tackle spot and Miami, Ohio's Will Jados to play left guard.
Wide receiver Reggie Virgil was added from Miami, Ohio, and he's second on the team with 45 receptions and a team-best six touchdowns, while backup tight end Terrance Carter Jr. was coming off an All-Sunbelt Conference season last year at Louisiana.
He's fourth on the squad with 33 catches for 432 yards and five touchdowns.
So, yes, several key players were added to the roster through billionaire and former Red Raider offensive lineman Cody Campbell's generosity, helping transform an eight-win team last season into a national title contender this year.
But Tech also worked very hard to keep other teams from poaching quarterback Behren Morton and star weakside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, considered one of the best defensive players in the country this year.
Both young running backs, Cameron Dickey and J'Koby Williams, returned this season, as did wide receivers Caleb Douglas and Coy Eakin.
The other three regulars on the offensive line, center Sheridan Wilson, right guard David Carter and right tackle Jacob Ponton, started in last year's Liberty Bowl for the Red Raiders, so clearly some player development was going on as well.
What Texas Tech did during the offseason is no different than what Ohio State did last year to win a national title, or what Texas A&M has done going from a middling SEC program in 2024 to a College Football Playoff contender in 2025.
It's just that the Red Raiders are new to the club, which always seems to raise people's blood pressure in blue blood country. And they did it much more effectively than rival Texas, which spent more on its roster this year, by the way.
Rich Rodriguez admits he will be studying what Texas Tech has done during the offseason, even if his roster budget won't come close to theirs.
"You are going to study people that are doing well," he admitted. "Why are you winning? Obviously, you've got the right players, you've got the right staff, you've got the right facilities, and there are usually a multitude of reasons to have so much success. Look what they've done in one year with it, but again, they evaluated the right guys and did a great job of evaluations, first off.
"I don't know what everybody on their roster is getting paid, but it seems to me that they distributed it in the right way and they're getting all of their guys to play really hard, so it didn't affect their culture if these guys are getting all this money and maybe these other guys weren't," he added. "It looks like to me they have a great culture, so there is a lot to learn from studying them."
Alley sees some commonality in the types of players Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire and his staff pursued last winter.
"I've read different things about their process and strategy of how they were going to spend on what they went to get, and it made a lot of sense," he observed. "They got team captains, good players on bad teams, and you could see character within the players. Generally, you're not going to miss as much if you can find a guy who was voted team captain. He's probably going to come in and be a better player, and a better person most of the time from a commitment standpoint."
When you put it all together, Texas Tech has come up with the right formula for success in today's college football. Simply saying the Red Raiders bought the success they are enjoying ignores the other things that were done successfully to get them to where they are with one game remaining in the regular season.
With a win against West Virginia this Saturday, the heavily favored and 10-1 Red Raiders will lock up a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game, and potentially, a spot in the College Football Playoffs. Tech is No. 5 in this week's College Football Playoff Poll.
"They beat us pretty good last year (52-15) and they're better this year," Rodriguez opined. "It will be a great challenge for us, but I'm also excited for the opportunity for our guys to play and see what happens."
The coach mentioned that while Saturday's game will be the ending to this season, he would be lying if he didn't admit that his improving football squad is also seeking some carryover into 2026.
"To look into the future … not that we're not, because we're recruiting every day with an open date … last week we had a bunch of recruits in, and we'll have a bunch of recruits in this weekend, so you're always looking to the future too," he said. "But I think it would be a disservice to our seniors if we don't do everything we can to try and win this game."
An upset victory over the seventh-ranked team in the country on Senior Day would be a big boost of adrenaline heading into the offseason for the Mountaineers.
Saturday's contest will kick off at noon and will be televised nationally on ESPN (Roy Philpott, Samuel Acho and Taylor Davis).
Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield radio coverage with Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning gets underway at 9 a.m. on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com, and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.
The game has been designated "True Blue" with all Mountaineer fans coming to the game encouraged to wear blue. Tickets still remain and can be purchased through the Mountaineer Ticket Office by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
| Tale of the Tape | Texas Tech | WVU |
| Points Per Game | 42.6 | 23.7 |
| Points Against | 12.3 | 29.2 |
| Rushing Yards Per Game | 194.1 | 171.8 |
| Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game | 71.8 | 139.7 |
| Passing Yards Per Game | 287.5 | 193.1 |
| Passing Yards Allowed Per Game | 194.3 | 254.6 |
| Total Yards Per Game | 481.6 | 364.9 |
| Total Yards Allowed Per Game | 266.1 | 394.4 |
| First Downs For | 257 | 216 |
| First Downs Against | 157 | 226 |
| Fumbles/Lost | 12/5 | 18/7 |
| Interceptions/Return Yards | 12/119 | 10/221 |
| Net Punting | 40.8 | 38.8 |
| Field Goal/Attempts | 24/27 | 10/12 |
| Time of Possession | 29:13 | 27:10 |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 81/164 | 51/165 |
| 3rd Down Conversion Defense | 52/168 | 56/161 |
| 4th Down Conversions | 7/14 | 19/40 |
| 4th Down Conversion Defense | 10/30 | 16/25 |
| Sacks By/Yards Lost | 33/237 | 24/164 |
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