Some early-season games mean a lot more than others, not just in terms of the College Football Playoff, the polls or the standings, but also in helping us learn what teams really are.
Friday night’s Houston-Texas Tech game encompasses all of those things. It could be extremely important in the CFP picture, but it will be especially helpful in determining whether the Cougars are ready to make the leap some expect.
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Neither team has been tested much ahead of this Top 25 matchup, but they do have a common opponent in Oregon State, for whatever that’s worth. Houston beat the Beavers 33-20 at home, and the Red Raiders went to Corvallis and won 35-24. Otherwise, Houston pummeled FCS opponent Southern, and Texas Tech received more resistance from FCS opponent Abilene Christian in a 33-10 victory, coming nowhere close to covering the 45½-point spread.
The biggest question that needs to be answered is what we can expect from the Red Raiders’ offense as the season progresses. It’s clear they didn’t have a ton of confidence in Will Hammond, as top transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby was a very early target for Joey McGuire and his staff. As it turns out, Sorsby...