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Joey McGuire calls Steve Sarkisian's bluff, dares Texas to play Texas Tech in Week 1
By Trey Wallace
Published May 29, 2026
Steve Sarkisian has been challenged to back his words up on the football field this upcoming season by Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire, in what is the latest war of words between the two Lone Star State universities.
During an era in which plenty of schools are looking to get out of games against nonconference opponents that could put a blemish on their record, the Red Raiders have essentially called the Longhorns to the table over comments made by their head coach. And, Texas Tech is not looking to wait around to get this game on the schedule.
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian speaks during SEC Football Media Days at the Omni Dallas Hotel in Dallas, Texas, on July 17, 2024. (Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Last week, during an event at the Houston Touchdown Club, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian might not have specifically named the Red Raiders while answering a question about strength of schedule rankings within college football, but he really didn’t have to.
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"There's a team in our state that plays in another conference that has a schedule that I would argue if I played with our twos and our threes, we could go undefeated, and they'll probably make the CFP this year," Steve Sarkisian mentioned.
Obviously, the Texas head coach is loving the potential of his football team this upcoming season, with Arch Manning leading the offense at quarterback, along with a talented group on defense.
But, he had to know his comments were going to make their way outside of the room in Houston and down to Lubbock, Texas.
Red Raiders want the Longhorns in 2026 after Sarkisian's shot
In reality, the only team he would actually be calling out in that way is Texas Tech, who hasn't shied away from spending money to put together a roster that is capable of competing for a Big 12 title, along with making the playoff.
And yes, those odds took a hit when quarterback Brendan Sorsby was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for gambling and placing bets on his own team while at Indiana.
BRENDAN SORSBY AT CROSSROADS: NCAA GAMBLING PROBE COULD END TEXAS TECH QB'S COLLEGE CAREER
But if there's one thing we know about Joey McGuire, he's not going to just roll over and allow someone to talk about his team without pushback.
"You know, Sark, we’ve played him. We got out butts kicked the last time we played, we’re 1-1 against Texas since I’ve been here. I said, 'There’s no way they're talking about us,' because Sark is a pretty tough guy," McGuire mentioned. "His teams are really tough, and I would think if he was talking about us, he’d call us out and not just say this comment of ‘Well, there’s another team in our state.’ So I guess he was talking about us.
"I’ve actually talked to Keith Patterson and I’ve talked to DJ Kinney, and they're willing to take our games, and Abilene Christian would go to Texas State, we’ll buy our contract out of Abilene Christian. 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 will help then buy that contract out if they don’t want to."
Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire calls a timeout during an NCAA college football game against BYU in Lubbock, Texas, on Nov. 8, 2025. (Annie Rice/AP)
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I get it. I think the college football world gets it. A lot of this chatter centers around the two schools rarely meeting on the field during the regular season in recent years.
Having played over 70 games against each other during their history, more frequently when both were members of the Southwest Conference and Big 12, the Longhorns did get the last laugh in 2022 after defeating Texas Tech 57-7.
Joey McGuire is not running from the past, though. He's obviously doing everything he can to get this on the upcoming schedule, which would require Texas Tech buying out of its game against Abilene Christian.
"They can come to Lubbock in week one. We can figure out if there 2’s and 3’s can win this conference," McGuire said at Big 12 meetings. "I know a lot of people are going to say a lot of stuff about me, or about us. We didn’t score in the playoffs. You can take a shot at us about that, we didn't score in the playoffs. The last time we played Texas we got beat 57-7, and he played some of his 2’s and 3’s. They kicked the crap out of us.
"But, I know he feels really good about his team, he’s made those comments. But, we would love to play the University of Texas week one in Lubbock. I do know that Cody Campbell reached out to Steven Jones, so if they don’t want to come to Lubbock, we’re gonna try to get At&T (Stadium) week one. So, if they wanna play week one, we’re ready."
Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns stands on the field before a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 22, 2025. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Yep, those are fighting words, with the financial backing of Red Raiders' megabooster Cody Campbell trying to help manifest this game into actually taking place.
Will it, though?
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I reached out to Abilene Christian for comment:
"We are planning on playing Texas Tech as scheduled on Sept. 5 in Lubbock. We look forward to playing the Red Raiders barring any changes."
So, you're saying there's a chance?
https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/joey-mcguire-calls-steve-sarkisians-bluff-dares-texas-play-texas-tech-week-1