Following its first-ever Big 12 title win in 2025, the Red Raiders are facing a big schedule change. That change appears in Texas Tech’s 2027 football schedule with the cancellation of two non-conference games. As a result, Joey McGuire’s team is scrambling for opponents.

On Friday, Texas Tech Athletics officially announced the cancellation of matchups against NC State and North Texas. Now, the Raiders are seeking a Power 4 and a Group of 6 opponent for 2027. But why the schedule change?

Due to the ACC shifting to a nine-game conference schedule, NC State officials notified Texas Tech that they would exercise a contract buyout to cancel their trip to Lubbock on September 18, 2027. Following the loss of the NC State home game, the Red Raiders elected to cancel their scheduled September 11 road trip to Denton to face North Texas to maintain a minimum of six home games. But the program will find a solution very soon.

“We have actively been working on our 2027 football schedule for several weeks now and hope to have a new agreement with a power conference and FBS school finalized soon,” said Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt.

The only remaining confirmed non-conference game for Texas Tech in 2027 is against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Meanwhile, North Texas has already secured a replacement, agreeing to face TCU in Fort Worth on September 11, 2027, after Stanford also canceled a game due to the ACC scheduling change. Now, there are some potential opponents for the Raiders based on recent scheduling shifts or regional ties. Memphis currently has an open slot in 2027 and lacks a power conference opponent on its schedule.

Then, Stanford or Cal could be a choice in Power 4; they recently moved to the ACC, which has triggered multiple non-conference cancellations. To cap it off, UTSA has been active in rescheduling games and recently set a 2027 matchup with LSU, showing they are open to high-profile non-conference games. Now, it’s up to the Raiders officials to find two opponents.

However, besides the 2027 change, there are two notable date changes to the Raiders’ 2026 schedule. While the opponents remain the same, the Big 12 adjusted those games for good reason: to accommodate national television broadcasts.

The Big 12 program also experienced a change in the 2026 schedule

Obviously, the 2027 schedule change is a major one for Texas Tech, but this season, they have already seen the teaser for that. The Houston at Texas Tech game, originally scheduled for Saturday, September 19, has been moved to Friday, September 18. Then, the TCU at Texas Tech, originally slated for Saturday, November 28, has been moved to Thursday, November 26, 2026, for a special Thanksgiving Day showdown.

This marks the first time Texas Tech has hosted a game on Thanksgiving since 1977. However, these changes ensure the “Red Raider brand” is on display without competing against a full Saturday slate. That could give Texas Tech recruiting momentum for securing prospects.

To cap it off, moving the regular-season finale against TCU to Thursday gives the Red Raiders two extra days of rest and preparation for a potential postseason game. Despite that, the success isn’t dependent on these changes; the Raiders have to translate their talent into on-field success this season.