Coming off a big win and a week off, WVU football will try to carry momentum into their latest trip to Texas Tech, a place that’s haunted the Mountaineers due to multiple recent blowout losses. West Virginia also still has plenty to play for, needing just one more win for bowl eligibility and feeling as if they can still end the season strong. However, dealing with a Red Raiders team that still feels like they can win the Big 12 and make the College Football Playoff won’t be easy.

Below are some of the storylines to keep an eye on when the Mountaineers battle Texas Tech under the lights in Lubbock on Saturday night.

Corey McIntyre Poised for Return, Admits ‘Bad Taste’ From 2025 Texas Tech Loss

Forced to sit out and watch West Virginia’s best defensive performance of the season at TCU, Corey McIntyre is poised for a return to action this weekend. McIntyre even considers WVU’s upcoming matchup with Texas Tech as a chance for revenge after last season’s blowout loss.

McIntyre, who stayed home and missed the 24-20 win over the Horned Frogs, was shaken up the previous week in the shootout 45-42 victory against Cincinnati. He was then listed as doubtful all week leading up to the trip to Fort Worth, using missing that game and then the subsequent bye week as an opportunity to get ready for this week.

“I’m starting to feel better,” said McIntyre to describe how he’s feeling heading into his first experience in Lubbock, Texas. McIntyre also admitted that he still has a “bad taste” in his mouth from last year’s 49-0 loss at home to Texas Tech. He did not travel for the 2024’s 52-15 defeat that ended the Neal Brown era for the Mountaineers.

WVU Football Projected to Appear in Brand New Bowl Game

Needing just one more win to earn bowl eligibility, WVU football finds itself in a new game projection at the start of the new week.

After being predicted to appear in the Independence Bowl in recent weeks, one ESPN writer now has West Virginia taking part in a brand new bowl game instead. This would pit WVU against UMass in the Puerto Rico Bowl at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, Puerto Rico on Tuesday, Dec. 22. The Puerto Rico Bowl is scheduled to kickoff at 1:30 pm ET.

Oddsmakers Expect Texas Tech to Blowout WVU Football

Major sportsbooks have the Mountaineers as a 17.5-point underdog when they travel to Lubbock, Texas to matchup with the Red Raiders.

And while the Mountaineers should be rested, Rich Rodriguez’s team has their toughest challenge yet coming up. WVU will travel to Lubbock, Texas to face the (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) Texas Tech Raiders, who picked up a 34-26 win over Arizona.

West Virginia and Texas Tech will kickoff at 9:30 pm ET and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

Find more coverage of the WVU football program at WV Sports Now.