Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire called out the Texas Longhorns from the Big 12 spring meetings on Thursday. It was brilliant. And it was exactly what the Big 12 needs right now. A couple of big personalities and key figures to step up to the plate and call out of the bullshit from the SEC.
A few days after Steve Sarkisian insinuated that Texas could beat Texas Tech with its “twos and threes”, meaning their back ups and third-stringers, the Texas Tech head coach responded by offering to play Texas in Week 1 of the season. And while both teams obviously already have games lined up, McGuire made an offer that only Texas could figure out a way to refuse.
The Longhorns and Red Raiders both have Week 1 games scheduled against Texas State and Abilene Christian, respectively. However, McGuire said that he’s already spoken to Keith Patterson at ACU and GJ Kinne at Texas State, and both were willing to buy out of their games and play each other instead.
“We’re willing to buy our contract out of ACU,” McGuire said. “I’m sure because Texas has got a lot of money, they can buy their contract out, but I do know there’s a lot of Red Raiders that could help them buy that contract out if they don’t want to, and they can come to Lubbock in Week 1 and figure out if their twos and threes can win this conference.”
Things went one step further when Tech megabooster Cody Campbell said he would pay Texas’ buyout for its Texas State game.
The Big 12 Needs This
The SEC is still flexing like it’s 2015. Don’t get me wrong, the SEC has plenty of juice, especially with it being in bed with ESPN, as the network still remains the most important media voice in college football. But it’s the Big Ten who has overtaken the SEC as the premier conference in college football based on not just winning, but also revenues.
We are at one of the most critical times in college sports history, with the future of the sport on the line and the Big 12 angling to not be left behind. While results on the field matter the most, which Texas should just look back to the 2024 CFP game where it needed a gift of a no-targeting call to slip by the Big 12 Champion Arizona State, but public perception is real as well.
Sarkisian’s shot was clearly also about just trying to completely dismiss the Big 12. And while the league needs to perform better in the CFP, no doubt, the idea that Texas would beat Tech with its two’s and three’s is such an insult and comical. Tech had to fire back. And they did it in the most way possible.
The Big 12, and its members, going after the SEC is the play right now. The SEC is in a vulnerable place, by its standards. It’s not top dog, but it’s still acting like it. And if the Big 12 is going to keep making up some ground, the SEC is an easier, more regional, and more comparable, culturally speaking, target to go after. So Joey McGuire, and anyone else who wants to join the fray, should be hopping on board.
