The season in review

As far as laying groundwork goes, this was a good season. Say what you will about turning corners and moving to next levels, Red Raider Nation can settle into this off-season with some degree of satisfaction. After all, these guys flipped what should have been a dud fall into some important currency for the 2008 campaign (thankfully no Obama on this trail).

Texas Tech ended the year ranked 22 by the AP and 23 in the Coaches Poll. Stewart Mandel of SI ranked the Raiders at 14. Not necessarily chump change for a rebuilding team.

If he accomplished nothing else this season, Leach managed to embellish Lubbock pirate lore a bit further with a late-season romp on a Sooners team that had its eyes on the national title (and, granted, later died painfully in the desert) and a miracle 3-minute rally in the Gator Bowl. Those 17 points the Raiders hung around Chris Long's neck may have cemented this team's legacy as comeback bowlers. You doubt the buzz? They're even talking about the team's clutch play in Canada.

Plus, Crabtree, who'd already managed to haul in just about every honor a freshman reciever can hope for, was named the AT&T All-American of the Year. Now, this fan-chosen title may lack the street cred of certain other mantlepieces (you know, the one with the pose), but it provided prime real estate for showcasing the freshman on college football's biggest stage.

Now for next season. Not to jinx anything, because, yeah, the Raiders know how to stumble on their shoelaces when things get rolling, but the elements are in place for a break-through season.
What was one of the youngest teams in the nation will have matured a vital year. The Double Tpops up in the top 20 of preseason predictions in places such as Rivals.com. Tech loses two solid players in Amendola and Trlica, but returns a cast of characters that should be poised to continue tossing up gaudy stats and stretching defenses. As for ours? It's moving in the right direction and hopefully McNeill can patch the remaining leaks enough to avoid any further shoot-outs.

Oh, and Missouri and Colorado are off the schedule. This could indeed be a good year.