LAS VEGAS — The Texas Tech football team was picked ninth in the preseason poll of Big 12 media and eighth in the USA TODAY Sports network poll of writers who cover the conference.

That's not as ominous as in previous years. Given the Big 12 now houses 16 teams, eighth and ninth are middle of the pack. And the Red Raiders can take heart from the consensus view expressed on Tuesday's day one of Big 12 media days.

Commissioner Brett Yormark told writers and broadcasters assembled at Allegiant Stadium the Big 12 "will be the deepest conference in America." Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, whose team landed third in both the Big 12 and USA TODAY Sports Network preseason polls, touted the parity.

And Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, whose team is the favorite in both, sees a wide-open race.

"We got picked number one," Whittingham said, "but in my estimation eight or nine teams could win this thing, so we'll just have to see how things unfold."

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Now that Texas and Oklahoma are gone to the Southeastern Conference, the Big 12 includes a sizable pool of football programs with comparable talent, resources and periods of success. That being the case, Yormark says "every week will matter" and "November will be incredibly exciting."

Four Big 12 holdovers, plus newcomers Arizona and Utah, won eight to 10 games last season. For Texas Tech to crack that upper crust, Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire says his team must play better on the road. Tech plays five of its first seven games at home, and McGuire's teams are 8-2 in November and December in his first two years.

However, the Red Raiders were 3-8 in road games the past two years.

"We have not been tough enough to win games on the road," McGuire said. "That's been one of our biggest Achilles heels, consistently being able to win on the road. It's tough to do that in this conference, but if we're going to be in the mix, if we're going to be talked about at the end of the year playing in the Big 12 championship game ... we've got to find ways to win games on the road."

McGuire and four staff members made a late-May trip to Detroit to consult Lions coach Dan Campbell, whose team was 6-3 on the road last year.

Tech's road games this year are at Washington State, Arizona, TCU, Iowa State and Oklahoma State.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Can Texas Tech football win new Big 12? Solving road issues is key