Never let it be said that Kirby Hocutt likes to sit for a while on his decisions; let's just say he's not renown for slow-walking anything. For sure, the Texas Tech athletic director doesn't fool around when he decides that things need to be changed. Ask basketball coach Mark Adams, recently forced out quickly to make room for Grant McCasland, who's moving over from North Texas. Hocutt mobilized even quicker two years ago on the football side once identifying Baylor assistant Joey McGuire as the man to lead the Red Raiders into a new era on the gridiron. Never mind that the 2021 campaign was already underway; Matt Wells would walk the plank at midseason while Hocutt worked on finalizing a deal (signed in early November, well before the season was complete) with McGuire, who had earlier gained notice as a highly-successful high school coach in the Lone Star State while at Cedar Hill High in the southern reaches of the Metroplex. 

Some in the region, however, still wonder about the hire, not the least of which because it's not always easy to convince recruits to come to Lubbock, which is a long way from Dallas. Besides, the list of coaches who have tried recreating their high school success at the college level is filled with many examples of those who have fallen short...

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of Texas Tech's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the Big 12 season.

Big 12 preview: Conference winner | Baylor | BYU | Cincinnati | Houston | Iowa State | Kansas | Kansas State | Oklahoma | Oklahoma State | Texas | TCU | Texas Tech | UCF | West Virginia

2023 Texas Tech at a glance

• Last Year: 8-5 SU, 8-5 ATS, 8-5 O/U
• Returning starters: Offense 6; Defense 6
• Win total: 7.5 (Over -120, Under +120)

What do you need to know about Texas Tech before locking in your Big 12 futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Big 12 futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!