Texas Tech University Athletics
Early kick set for Texas Tech, Cincinnati
October 18, 2026 | Football
Red Raiders will make their first-ever trip to Nippert Stadium in an 11 a.m. CT kick Saturday at Cincinnati
LUBBOCK, Texas โ Texas Tech's first-ever trip to Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati will feature an early start as the Big 12 Conference announced Sunday an 11 a.m. CT kickoff between the Red Raiders and Bearcats. Television coverage this Saturday will be provided nationally on FS1.
The Red Raiders will look to remain among the six unbeaten teams in the country against the Bearcats, who enter with a 4-2 record, including a 1-2 mark in Big 12 play. Texas Tech improved to 6-0 and a perfect 3-0 in conference action Saturday with a 53-25 victory over Arizona State, marking the second-consecutive season the Red Raiders have opened with a 6-0 record.
Texas Tech will be searching for only its fifth 7-0 start in school history Saturday in their third road visit of the season. The Red Raiders have won each of their last four road games dating back to the 2025 season, which includes a 35-24 victory at Oregon State and a 29-7 win at Colorado earlier this year. Oregon State, now 5-2 overall, was receiving votes in the top-25 polls last week, while Colorado took an undefeated Utah team to the wire late Saturday night.
This will be only the third all-time meeting between Texas Tech and Cincinnati as the two schools previously ended in a 10-10 tie to start the 1968 season before a 44-41 win by the Red Raiders in their first-ever Big 12 meeting in 2024. Tahj Brooks, now a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, rushed for 172 yards to help Texas Tech overcome an early 14-3 deficit and hold off a potential Cincinnati game-tying field goal as time expired to improve to 4-1 overall after the 2024 matchup.
Texas Tech returns to Galaxy Stadium following the Cincinnati road trip for back-to-back home dates with Arizona (Oct. 31) and West Virginia (Nov. 7). The game time and television designation for the Arizona game could be learned as early Monday under the Big 12's television selection process.
