LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — All-America linebacker Jacob Rodriguez plans to watch some College Football Playoff games on television this weekend, just not the one that will determine who fourth-ranked Texas Tech will play in its CFP quarterfinal game at the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day.
The Big 12 champion Red Raiders (12-1) have a bye and wait to see if they will take on Oregon or James Madison, who meet Saturday night in the last of the four first-round games. Rodriguez will wait to watch the game film on the Ducks or Dukes.
“I don’t think that watching like a TV copy helps me very much. If anything, it gives me like a skewed view, but that’s just like a personal preference that I have, nothing against anything that commentators are saying,” Rodriguez said after practice Wednesday. “I can kind of just get away from football … and then kind of go attack the work that needs to be done. Now, I’ll watch the other games.”
The Red Raiders will go about 3 1/2 weeks between games, from their 34-7 win over No. 12 BYU on Dec 6 for their first Big 12 title until their first CFP game.
Texas Tech players will have Saturday off, then practice Sunday through a walkthrough on Dec. 23 before getting to go home for Christmas.
Fourth-year coach Joey McGuire, who before the Big 12 championship got a contract extension through 2032 and a significant raise, said the Red Raiders so far have worked on base stuff they know they will run no matter the opponent.
As for the playoff games this weekend, McGuire said he will have family at his home and plans to watch even the game played in Oregon.
“We’ll watch it as a family,” he said. “We’ll hang out at home and watch it.”
Healing Morton
McGuire said the great energy Tech has had in practice starts with quarterback Behren Morton running around. He missed two games because of a lower leg injury and was banged up before halftime in two others.
“I haven’t seen him run the way he’s running in a while,” McGuire said. “He’s been both days full-go, and usually we move him out of some stuff. He looks really good.”
Morton, who missed their only loss at Arizona State on Oct. 18, threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns in the Big 12 title game — he has seven TDs and no interceptions his last four games. On the season, he is 201-of-300 passing (Big 12-best 67% completion) for 2,643 yards with 22 TDs and four picks.
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