The Texas Longhorns have nothing to gain by answering Texas Tech’s challenge, it would be foolish to accept the terms
That high wind you hear from the Lone Star State is not a hurricane, although we are in the season for one.
No, it’s a bunch of hot air from a few college football coaches calling each other knowing they won’t face any consequences on the field.
For those who don’t know, Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian made a subtle jab during his tenure at Texas Tech, while Red Raiders coach Joey Maguire returned the applause, saying they would love to play the Longhorns and were even willing to cancel their non-conference game against Abilene Christian to handle it.
Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire calls a timeout during an NCAA college football game against BYU in Lubbock, Texas, on Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Annie Rice)
Let’s be clear before we go any further: this is not going to happen.
Texas and Texas Tech will never cancel games against non-conference opponents to play against each other, and neither will their conferences and the NCAA.
But if they can, I’m here to tell you that the Longhorns should outright reject the terms of the Red Raiders and Maguire.
Texas has nothing to gain by adding Tech to their program and everything to lose.
WHICH TEAMS HAVE THE BEST ORGANIZATION CAPACITY DURING THE CALL GAME?
In an era where teams are canceling tough non-conference games left and right to create an easier path to the College Football Playoff, why on God’s green earth would the Longhorns make a brutal schedule even more difficult?
Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns holds the Horns Up gesture as he enters Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium before the SEC football game against Texas A&M on Nov. 28, 2025, Austin, Texas. (David Buono/Icon Sportswire)
Just look at last season, when a 9-3 Texas team was playing some of the best football in the country late in the year, narrowly missing the playoffs despite going 3-1 against top 10 teams from the month of October onward.
It can be argued without any shadow of a doubt that if the Longhorns had orchestrated an FCS sweep of Ohio State in Week 1 last year and finished 10-2, they would have entered the CFP as a top 10 team.
WHICH COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAMS ARE IN THE 2026 HEADLINES?
This year, Sarkisian and his team again play Ohio State, in addition to two teams from the state of Texas that were bowl eligible last season in UTSA and Texas State.
It’s not a cakewalk for the non-conference slate, but it gets tough once they get into league play.
The Longhorns play Tennessee, LSU and rival Texas A&M on the road in addition to home games against Florida and Ole Miss, not to mention the annual neutral site showdown against Oklahoma.
FIVE SEC TRAP GAMES IN 2026 THAT COULD CONTINUE THE COLLEGE PLAYOFF RACE, FROM LSU TO GEORGIA
Three of those teams were playoff teams in 2025, and LSU and Tennessee should both be much improved this coming season.
Throw in the fact that Florida has one of the best programs every year (regardless of record) and they took down Texas last season, and the Longhorns undoubtedly face a tough schedule in 2026.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian celebrates with offensive guards Trevor Goosby and Brandon Baker after a win over Texas A&M in Austin, Texas, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman)
Adding Texas Tech to this rivalry would do nothing to strengthen their resume in the eyes of the CFP selection committee, so a loss would hurt more than a win would help in this hypothetical situation.
I understand why Maguire wants to talk tough in this situation.
For one, you probably know this fantasy matchup isn’t going to happen, and second, since Tech’s schedule and resume isn’t much bolder than Texas’, it can only help bolster their strength of schedule if they add another Power Four contender.
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The SEC is known for playing “cakes,” but the Texas program proves that is often in abundance.
This hypothetical show will obviously never happen, and it certainly shouldn’t.
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Texas and Texas Tech will have every chance to play in the CFP, I doubt either of them would want to risk that by getting one more regular season loss.
That’s where we are in college football these days.
