Some names to keep an eye on for Texas Tech opening, plus other notes

Another Power 5 team is in search of a new coach: Texas Tech.

After coming close to firing Matt Wells after last season, the school fired him Monday after a loss to Kansas State that dropped Texas Tech to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in Big 12 play. LSU and USC also are looking for new coaches.

Who are the expected top candidates to replace Wells, who was in his third season with the Red Raiders? UTSA’s Jeff Traylor and SMU’s Sonny Dykes, whose dad, Spike, was Tech’s longtime coach, are the names that have come up most in conversations with industry sources in recent weeks as the job continued to trend toward coming open. And a source told On3’s Gerry Hamilton that Traylor, a former Texas high school coach who has led UTSA to an 8-0 start and a No. 23 ranking, appears to be the early No. 1 candidate.

Outside of those two, another to keep an eye on as a potential option is Ole Miss offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. Lebby, former Baylor coach Art Briles’ son-in-law and a former Bears assistant under Briles, has worked at Ole Miss the past two seasons under Lane Kiffin. Aided by Lebby, a west Texas native, the Rebels are 6-1 and ranked No. 1 among Power 5 teams in total offense.

Inside C.J. Stroud’s standout October

In the past five seasons, only three Power 5 quarterbacks have finished October or November with a passer rating better than 215 while playing in at least three games during that given month.

Two won the Heisman — Baker Mayfield in 2017 and Kyler Murray in 2018. The other, Tua Tagovailoa in 2018, was a Heisman runner-up.

That’s the kind of company Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud is keeping.

His passer rating in the Buckeyes’ three October games: 229.01. That’s even higher than the ratings posted by Murray (222.02 in October 2018) and Mayfield (219.63 in November 2017). Tagovailoa’s rating of 239.56 in October 2018 is the best October or November rating for a Power 5 quarterback since at least 2008.

Behind Stroud, the Buckeyes (6-1) are No. 1 nationally in October scoring (57.3 points per game in wins over Rutgers, Maryland and Indiana) and are back up to No. 5 in the AP poll after dropping to as low as No. 11 following their Week 2 loss to Oregon.

Here’s a deeper look at Stroud’s October numbers:

+ 334 passing yards per game (fourth-best among Power 5 quarterbacks)
+ 14 touchdown passes (No. 1 among Power 5 quarterbacks)
+ 73.8 completion percentage (No. 2 among Power 5 quarterbacks)
+ No turnovers

Stroud and Ohio State close out October on Saturday with a matchup against No. 20 Penn State, which ranks third nationally in opposing quarterback rating (97.04) and fifth nationally in defensive yards per play (4.31).

Two-loss teams working back into the national conversation

Iowa State and Texas A&M opened the season ranked in the top 10. They soon may be back there.

Iowa State started 2-2; Texas A&M opened 3-0, then lost two in a row. But both have won three consecutive games, including noteworthy performances on Saturday.

After three quarters of a 44-14 rout of South Carolina, A&M led 41-0 and had outgained the Gamecocks 463-15. That came after a 41-38 upset of then-No. 1 Alabama and a 35-14 victory over Missouri.

The latest win for Iowa State came over then-No. 8 Oklahoma State 24-21; it was the Cowboys’ first loss. Even after the two losses in September, the Cyclones are very much in the Big 12 title hunt. Iowa State (3-1 in Big 12 play) is one of four Big 12 teams with one or fewer conference losses, along with No. 4 Oklahoma (5-0), Oklahoma State (3-1) and No. 16 Baylor (3-1). While the Cyclones lost to Baylor, they have the head-to-head win over Oklahoma State and play at Oklahoma on November 20.