But Tech knows exactly what kind of a sex symbol it has in Kingsbury. Red Raider fans love their former quarterback. Tech sold a school record 38,502 season tickets, and that’s all that went on sale. That busted the previous record by more than 6,000.

And the early returns on Kingsbury are shaky. Quarterback defections last off-season — Michael Brewer to Virginia Tech, Baker Mayfield to OU — raised questions about Kingsbury’s communication skills. The resignation of defensive coordinator Matt Wallerstedt last week raises questions about Kingsbury’s organizational skills. Squeakers past I-AA Central Arkansas and hapless Texas-El Paso, then a drubbing at the hands of Arkansas, raise questions about Kingsbury’s coaching skills.

The truth is, Tech has no idea what kind of a football coach it has. Kingsbury is all of 35 years old and was hired after just five years in the coaching profession. He had an interesting resume’; coached Case Keenum at Houston U. and Johnny Football at Texas A&M. That could mean Kingsbury is awfully good or awfully lucky and it probably means he’s somewhere in between.

The ballgame? Gundy’s in better shape. His rebuilding Cowboys have been promising. Kingsbury’s Red Raiders have been disappointing. OSU is a 14-point favorite.

The day before the season opener, Tech athletic director Kirby Holcutt gave Kingsbury a contract extension through 2020. Kingsbury will be paid $3.1 million in 2015, with a $200,000 raise each season through 2020.

Kingsbury didn’t earn that kind of money with victories over Stephen F. Austin and Texas State. He earned that money for his interview with Esquire, which asked about his stylish wardrobe. “When I started dressing how I wanted,” Kingsbury told the magazine, “a few of the older coaches made comments. But as long as you’re doing your job successfully, those comments stop pretty quickly. I think they thought I was being a young punk, trying to be cute, but in no way was that the case. I was just trying to be comfortable by wearing what I thought looked right … you want to be consistent in who you are. You get only 12 game days a year. It’s a big deal.”

Who is this guy? Russell Westbrook?

Kingsbury (and Westbrook) know how to play the game. That’s why Kingsbury went on ESPN’s Dan Le Batard Show and admitted to flirting with the mother of recruits, as long as they were single. “You’ve got to play to your strengths,” Kingsbury said. “So I kind of encourage that a little bit. It’s part of the deal.”