Texas Tech's McGuire Offers to Buy Out 2 Games to Face Texas in Week 1

16 articles · Updated · KSR · May 29

Joey McGuire said Texas Tech would buy out games against Texas State and Abilene Christian to play Texas in Week 1, adding he would welcome either Lubbock or AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The offer answered Steve Sarkisian's recent remark that an unnamed in-state team in another conference had a schedule Texas could run through with its backups and still reach the CFP.
Most observers took that jab as aimed at Texas Tech, which won the Big 12 and reached the playoff last season while Texas went 10-3 and missed the field.
The schools have not met annually since Texas left the Big 12 for the SEC; Texas beat Texas Tech 57-7 in their last meeting in 2023 and leads the series 55-18.

Could millions in buyout money actually force this heated Texas rivalry game onto the 2026 schedule?

Is Joey McGuire’s challenge a brilliant PR move, or a logistical fantasy given Texas’s locked schedule?

Will Texas risk its reputation by dodging a public challenge, or is its tough SEC schedule the perfect excuse?