LUBBOCK — The reigning Big 12 champion Texas Tech football program now has open dates on its 2027 calendar after a pair of scheduled nonconference games were canceled, the school announced Friday.
One of the removed matchups came when North Carolina State invoked a buyout in the schools’ home-and-home agreement, citing shifts in how the Atlantic Coast Conference is arranging nonconference play. NC State had been slated to visit Lubbock in 2027 after the Wolfpack defeated the Red Raiders in Raleigh in 2022.
After losing that home game, Texas Tech opted to drop its planned 2027 trip to North Texas as well, leaving the Red Raiders with at least one open slot they now need to fill. Athletic director Kirby Hocutt said the university is actively working to replace the lost dates and is targeting a mix of a power-conference opponent and an FBS program to round out the schedule.
North Texas quickly found a new opponent for the second weekend of the 2027 season, agreeing to travel to TCU. That matchup was available because TCU had an opening created when Stanford — also pointing to ACC scheduling changes — canceled its commitment to play the Horned Frogs.
The ACC has implemented new nonconference standards intended to increase the number of games its members play against power-conference opponents, and those policy shifts have rippled through several contracts this offseason . Meanwhile, NC State will still host Big 12 opponent Kansas State in 2027, a game that satisfies the ACC’s updated nonconference P4 requirement.
https://x.com/ACCFootball/status/1970228486607642816
