Texas Tech Football:

The Texas Tech football staff has released the fall practice schedule (hat-tip to RaiderPower).  A lot of 8 p.m. practices, I think to take advantage of cooler weather and to fit around finals next week. If you've got an afternoon to kill, this may be a good way to spend it.

Coaches Hot Seat has ranked the top 100 assistant coaches and Ruffin McNeill comes in at #79. There are a ton of other lists compiled by CHS, including but not limited to top offensive coordinators, top defensive coordinators, top African-Americans, top 30 year olds, top Big 12, etc. I'm not sure how Major Applewhite is the top Big 12 assistant coach and some how Gus Malzahan makes the top Big 12 list as well. I can't imagine compiling lists like these, just seems like a tough list to create. In any event, it's better than working.

RedRaiderSports takes a look at all of the candidates for the running back position. I still say that Woods is the most talented of the runners (excluding Jeffers as I haven't seen him play except on YouTube), but if I'm pulling for anyone, it's Baron Batch. I think that Batch is a pretty nice combination of size and speed, something that Woods (size) and Crawford (speed) lack.

Dave Matters' Behind the Stripes continues his top 25 and Texas Tech checks in at #11:

• 11. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Projected Regular Season W-L: 10-2
2007 record: 9-4
Biggest game: Nov. 1 vs. Texas: The Red Raiders don’t necessarily have to win at Oklahoma to capture their first South Division title, but beating Texas at home could make for a division-title showdown three weeks later in Norman. Don’t forget: Texas Tech has beaten OU two of the last three years. Texas has been the bigger hurdle.
Outlook: The Air Raider bandwagon is getting heavy — and for good reason. The offense should be nearly unstoppable with 10 starters back, while the defense showed signs of life late last year. Now, if only Mike Leach’s team can avoid the land mine that’s tarnished recent seasons, like Colorado the last two years.

ESPN Big 12 blogger Tim Griffin ranks the Big 12 rivalries and your Red Raiders come in at #4:

4. Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech -- The nation's most underrated football rivalry features a good ol' fashioned touch of bitterness on both sides. Those feelings peaked in 2001 when Tech claimed a 12-0 victory and fans celebrated by ripping the goal posts which was touched off by a nasty postgame brawl. Tech fans were referenced as "Classless Clowns" originally in the 12th Man magazine and later in the A&M media guide the following year. And it hasn't toned down any as Mike Leach has repeatedly mocked the Aggies' military traditions as he's notched a 7-1 record against the Aggies during his coaching tenure.

I think that seems about right. Oh, wait . . . it's not a rivalry.

The list does make me wish for the days that Nebraska and OU would play every year, but other than that, I think it's a pretty good list.

BON's Peter Bean puts together his Big 12 Top Ten Non-Conference Games and Texas Tech v. SMU makes a list.

RedRaiderSports' Joe Yeager makes the case that Texas Tech's run defense could improve because the Big 12 is no longer a running conference. I'm not so sure that I'm sold on that concept as Texas Tech has lost badly to teams that weren't dominant running teams. Thus, we don't need to measure Texas Tech's success by the number of yards or touchdowns given up from year to year, but Texas Tech's run-stopping success relative to it's Big 12 brothers.