Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian’s remarks about Joey McGuire’s Texas Tech have reignited tensions between the former Big 12 rivals. Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell and McGuire have both been particularly outspoken, which added more fuel to the renewed back-and-forth between the programs.
How Joey McGuire’s Challenge Put Steve Sarkisian and Texas in the Spotlight
Campbell and McGuire challenged Texas to add Tech to its schedule, and the Red Raiders even offered to buy out both programs’ Week 1 opponents to schedule a game.
In the latest episode of “The Ruffino & Joe Show” on Sunday, hosts Joe DeLeone and Blake Ruffino discussed the situation, framing it as a strong PR strategy from the Texas Tech side.
“From the Texas Tech side of things, this is a galactic brain chess move by Joey McGuire,” DeLeone said. “Because at the end of the day, Texas isn’t going to play this game. It has nothing to do with cowardice. To go out of his way to make all of these moves, to make all of these statements, and to know that Texas, with an already incredibly difficult schedule, is not going to counter and decide to play you, is a brilliant move by Joey McGuire.
“He makes Sark look soft. He calls him out. Something that he can use as ammunition on the recruiting trail because they’re starting to butt heads for the same recruits these days with the five-stars that Texas Tech has been pulling. It is a really brilliant move because literally, Texas can’t do anything.”
Texas Tech finished last season with a 12-2 record, during which the Red Raiders reached the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal. Though they lost to Oregon by a blowout score of 23-0, Texas could not even make the CFP run. Arch Manning and the Longhorns secured a 9-3 regular season in the challenging SEC schedule.
For 2026, Texas aims to win the SEC championship and secure a College Football Playoff berth. The Longhorns likely wouldn’t shy away from Texas Tech, but adding another challenging game could be seen as unnecessary given that their Week 1 Texas State game serves as a tune-up before the season ramps up.
Sarkisian’s team will also meet Ohio State in Week 2, and a win over Ryan Day’s squad would heavily strengthen their CFP resume. Beating Texas Tech in Week 1 would also help, but it would make the following week even tougher. However, as Sarkisian initiated the tension, Texas Tech seems intent on continuing to push for the game.
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The PFSN CFB Playoff Metric currently gives Texas a 66.9% chance of making the CFP in 2026, while Texas Tech sits at 38.1%.
