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The TCU Horned Frogs visit the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Thursday night for an important primetime Big 12 football showdown. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET from Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Both clubs are coming off a bye and both are struggling in the Big 12 and need a victory to bolster their bowl hopes. Texas Tech (3-5, 2-3) has dropped back-to-back games to BYU and Kansas State by double figures, while TCU (4-4, 2-3) has dropped three of its past four, with two of the losses coming by double figures. The Horned Frogs have won four straight in the series, including a 34-24 victory last year in Fort Worth as part of their memorable run to the national championship game.
The Red Raiders are 3-point favorites and the over/under for total points scored is 59.5 in the latest SportsLine consensus TCU vs. Texas Tech odds. Before locking in any Texas Tech vs. TCU picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a stunning profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on TCU vs. Texas Tech and just revealed its picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine to see the model’s CFB picks. Here are several college football odds and trends for Texas Tech vs. TCU:
- TCU vs. Texas Tech spread: Texas Tech -3
- TCU vs. Texas Tech over/under: 59.5
- TCU vs. Texas Tech money line: Texas Tech -153, TCU +129
- TCU: The Frogs are 1-2 against the spread in road conference games this season.
- TTU: The Red Raiders have gone over the posted total in four of their last five home games.
- TCU vs. Texas Tech picks: See picks at SportsLine
- TCU vs. Texas Tech live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why Texas Tech can cover
The Red Raiders must play with a sense of urgency Thursday because their chances of finishing with a non-losing season and possibly receiving a bowl bid are slipping away. This matchup is among the more favorable of a remaining slate that includes meetings with Texas and Kansas.
Texas Tech has been felled by a tough schedule, inconsistent play and an onslaught of injuries at key positions, including quarterback. Their erratic ways showed in the first two weeks of the season when they visited Wyoming in Week 1 and allowed a 17-0 first-quarter lead slip away into a 35-33 loss. The following week, the Red Raiders outplayed Oregon most of the way and nearly pulled the upset but were hampered by four turnovers in the 38-30 loss.
Turnovers were also integral to their 27-14 loss at BYU before the bye week. Freshman third-string quarterback Jake Strong had three interceptions and the offense lost two other fumbles to repeatedly kill drives. But a solid defensive effort allowed the Raiders to keep it a one-score game into the fourth quarter. They held a potent BYU offense to just 277 yards and limited quarterback Kedon Slovis, a former Heisman candidate at USC and Pittsburgh, to 127 passing yards. See which team to pick here.
Why TCU can cover
The Horned Frogs have similarly had issues keeping their signal-callers healthy and will likely go with freshman backup Josh Hoover for the third time Thursday. Incumbent starter Chandler Morris remains sidelined with a knee injury suffered in a 27-14 loss at Iowa State.
Hoover has shown some promise in his two starts and TCU coach Sonny Dykes recently told the media that the freshman has shown continued improvement in practice. Hoover threw for 439 yards and two touchdowns while completing 37 of 58 passes in a 44-11 rout of BYU in his first start.
He threw for 187 yards and the offense was held to a season-low 300 yards in a 41-3 loss to surging Kansas State the following week. But the offense wasn’t the main issue as the Frogs were bowled over by a physical Kansas State club that rushed for 343 yards and finished with 587 total yards. But the Frogs have fared better against pass-happy teams similar to Texas Tech. In Week 3, they held Houston to 226 total yards in a 36-13 blowout victory. See which team to pick here.
How to make Texas Tech vs. TCU picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 64 points. The model also says one side of the spread is the better value. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins TCU vs. Texas Tech, and which side of the spread is the better value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has notched a profit of well over $2,000 on its top-rated college football spread picks, and find out.
