Texas Tech was cruising right along, looking like the star of the Big 12 again after a 53-25 blowout over Arizona State, and then it walked into a wall at Cincinnati, losing with a 37-24 thud.
Arizona has been fantastic ever since its 28-17 loss at BYU early in the season, including a 34-7 win over Cincinnati. But it still has a few nasty games to go in November.
Both teams are 6-1. The winner will be set up nicely for a College Football Playoff spot if it doesn’t win the Big 12 title. The loser will still be alive for the CFP if it wins out, but getting to the Big 12 Championship in a loaded conference season will be tough.

Arizona vs Texas Tech: Quick Hits

  • Texas Tech still has to go to Oklahoma State, but it doesn’t have to face BYU or Utah, and the other three games against West Virginia, at Baylor, and TCU aren’t bad.
  • Arizona gets three of its final four games at home, getting TCU and Utah next before going to Kansas State and finishing up against Arizona State.
  • Texas Tech won the most recent matchup 28-22 in 2024 and is 5-2-1 in the series going back to 1975.

How To Watch Arizona vs Texas Tech

Arizona at Texas Tech
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026
Game Time: 12:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Location: Galaxy Stadium, Lubbock, TX
– Week 9 Schedule, Game Previews
– CFN Top 25 | Bowl Projections
– Predicting the First CFP Top 25
– CFN Week 9 Expert Picks

Why Arizona Will Win

For the second time all year, Texas Tech played someone who could run well, and Cincinnati went off in the 13-point win.
Houston can run. It ran 37 times for 175 yards against the Red Raiders, and lost when it couldn’t hit a late two-point conversion. Cincinnati wasn’t exactly more physical, but it found space on the way to a 255-yard day with big run after big run.
Arizona’s running game isn’t a killer, but it’s more than effective enough, working hand-in-hand with super-accurate quarterback Noah Fifita and an offense that’s great at keeping the chains moving.

Why Texas Tech Will Win

Arizona doesn’t take the ball away enough, and that matters in a huge way here.
The Wildcats forced two takeaways in the win over Washington State, and two more in the win over West Virginia. That’s about it, coming up with six on the year.
Texas Tech has a huge problem with turnovers, with three against Cincinnati, two against Houston, and ten in the last five games. Don’t turn it over, or at least stay even in the mistake battle, and the Red Raiders should be fine.
Texas Tech has a great balance to its attack, and it needs to mix it up. BYU and West Virginia – in very different ways – both showed it’s possible to move the ball efficiently against the Wildcat defense.

Arizona vs Texas Tech Prediction, Betting Lines

Is Arizona ready to show that it’s really and truly a player, or will Texas Tech wipe away the Cincinnati loss like it was just a blip?
It’ll be a little of both, as Arizona controls the clock and tempo for the first half, but Texas Tech gets the pass rush working early in the second half. It’ll be rough for the Red Raiders without pressuring Fifita, and they won’t do enough of it over the final ten minutes.

Arizona 31, Texas Tech 30
Latest Consensus Line: Texas Tech -3.5, o/u: 54.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 2
Must See Rating (out of 5): 4.5

Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Source: Yahoo Sports