Sam Houston State Bearkats vs Texas Tech Red Raiders Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/26/2026

Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, September 26, 2026

Venue:  Galaxy Stadium, Lubbock, TX

Where to Watch:  TNT

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  SHSU +35.5, TTU -35.5; Over/Under:  54.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  SHSU +35.5, TTU -35.5; Over/Under:  54.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  SHSU +35.5, TTU -35.5; Over/Under:  54.5 points

Sam Houston State Bearkats:  1-2 (0-0) (5th place, C-USA)

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  3-0 (1-0) (1st place, Big 12)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Vegas Writer is on a HOT STREAK in college football on an 8-2 CFB RUN for +$5,800 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Sam Houston State Bearkats:  won their last game at home against the Nicholls State Colonels 59-0.

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  won their last game at home against the Houston Cougars 28-26.

Sam Houston State is entering this game with a 1-2 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 1-1 in their home games, 0-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Nicholls State 59-0. Landyn Locke was the starting QB and he completed 19/28 passes for 322 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Jerrian Parker Jr. led the team in rushing yards with 52. Kamari Maxwell led the receivers with 86 receiving yards on 2 receptions and 1 TD. Dean Ford led the defense in that game with 8 tackles while Josh Alexander-Felton led the defense in sacks with 1. She'Fon Boyd and Railyn Adams each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Texas Tech is entering this game with a 3-0 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 1-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Houston 28-26. Will Hammond was the starting QB and he completed 17/27 passes for 257 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Cameron Dickey led the team in rushing yards with 65 and 1 TD. Kenny Johnson led the receivers with 113 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Ben Roberts and Brenden Jordan each led the defense in that game with 8 tackles while Adam Trick, Trey White, and Anthony Holmes Jr. each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Texas Tech listed as a 35.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Texas Tech has looked great in their games this season with their 3-0 record overall and their 1-0 conference record which has them right near the top of the Big 12. They have looked great on their home field too with their 2-0 home record this season. Meanwhile, Sam Houston hasn't looked good in their games this season with their 1-2 record overall so far. They haven't been a good road team either with their 0-1 road record this year. Sam Houston is coming off a 59-0 win at home over a team from the FCS and that was their 1st win of the season. They didn't look terrible in their 2 losses, losing close games to Troy and Tulsa, but they haven't been a good team in their conference since making the jump to FBS. They have only been an FBS program for a few years now and they have had a lot of trouble, finishing near the bottom of the Conference USA each year. They lost a really good head coach after that 1st FBS season and it has definitely set them back the last few years. They don't have a lot of talent either and now they go on the road against one of the best teams in the Big 12. Texas Tech is coming off a 28-26 win at home against Houston who was a ranked opponent and that win will give them some momentum going forward. The offense didn't look great at times, but they did enough to win the game and the defense also kept them in the game when they were down, giving the offense the opportunity to make a comeback. Now Texas Tech is catching a break here after that tough matchup and they have a chance to fine tune that offense before entering the thick of their conference schedule. Sam Houston hasn't seen an offense like this one, so that defense is going to have a lot of trouble keeping points off the board here. Texas Tech also has a really talented defense that is going to look a lot better in this game against that much weaker Sam Houston offense. The best way to place a bet here is on Texas Tech to cover the spread in this game. 

Sam Houston State Texas Tech Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 26, 2026 (12:00 pm ET start time) is Texas Tech 52 Sam Houston 13.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Sam Houston State Bearkats Texas Tech Red Raiders prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

Sam Houston State Bearkats: 1-4 ATS after 3 or more consecutive wins against the spread. 7-16 ATS after allowing 14 points or less last game. 10-17 ATS vs. poor passing defenses - allowing 250 or more passing yards/game. 9-4 UNDER in a road game where the total is between 49.5 and 56. 12-6 UNDER vs. good offensive  teams - scoring 31 or more points/game.

Texas Tech Red Raiders: 6-1 ATS as a home favorite of 35.5 to 42 points. 26-19 ATS when playing against a bad team (Win Pct. 25% to 40%). 23-16 ATS versus poor rushing teams - averaging 120 rushing yards/game or less. 5-1 UNDER as a home favorite of 35.5 to 42 points. 31-18 UNDER when playing against a team with a losing record.

Sam Houston State Bearkats:  None.

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  T. Carter Jr. (TE) Probable - Foot. K. Johnson (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Boyd (CB) Out - Undisclosed. T. White (LB) Questionable - Knee.

“Nicholls was a common opponent when we were in the Southland Conference, when we were here in the FCS, and they were always known for their physical toughness. They’re always known for being a disciplined team and a hard-nosed team. And they play up very well. If you look at their history over the last five or six years, they have played bigger teams. They have competed hard, and they’re going to come here with all kinds of enthusiasm. They’re going to be well-coached and well-prepared.” - Phil Longo before his team’s win against Nicholls State in their last game. 

“It just shows the resilience of this team and the belief they have in each other. There was never a time that those guys got down. They just kept fighting. I just continue to believe that as the season goes, we’ll keep getting better and better again.” - Joey McGuire after his team’s win against Houston in their last game. 

WR Burns Jr., Tim

WR Reed, Chris

WR O'Neill, Grady

TE Whisner, Max

QB Locke, Landyn

RB McCaskill, Alton

WR Johnson, Kenny

WR Hudson, Micah

WR Eakin, Coy

TE Carter Jr., Terrance

QB Hammond, Will

RB Dickey, Cameron

Passing: Landyn Locke (973)

Rushing: Alton McCaskill (140)

Receiving: Chris Reed (204)

Touchdowns: Chris Reed (2)

Passing: Will Hammond (744)

Rushing: J'Koby Williams (249)

Receiving: Kenny Johnson (230)

Touchdowns: J'Koby Williams (3)

Coaches:

Sam Houston State Bearkats: Phil Longo (2nd season)

Texas Tech Red Raiders: Joey McGuire (5th season)