Joey McGuire Makes His Pitch for Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire called out the Texas A&M Aggies amid his ongoing beef with Texas and Steve Sarkisian.

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko reacts after the win over the Florida Gators at Kyle Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The SEC has made several changes recently to its scheduling practices. The conference moved to a nine-game schedule, allowing three non-conference games. As well, the league banned what SEC commissioner Greg Sankey affectionately titled “cupcake weekend,” when teams scheduled non-FBS opponents in the penultimate weekend.

This puts pressure on programs to get the most out of their non-conference schedule. After completing and splitting a home-and-home series against Notre Dame, Texas A&M has Missouri State, Arizona State and The Citadel on its 2026 schedule.

One advantage for the Aggies is that they play all three games at home, limiting the total travel for the season. However, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire challenged Texas A&M, among others, to do more with its non-conference schedule.

Texas Tech, Joey McGuire ‘Would Love To Play’ Texas A&M

Texas A&M Aggies celebrate after their win against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last season’s win over Notre Dame was an example of the amplifying power of a signature non-conference win. The Aggies went into Notre Dame Stadium and defeated the Fighting Irish, a marquee victory that helped secure a College Football Playoff appearance and a first-round home game.

However, McGuire said he doesn’t believe Texas schools should have to leave the state to find top-shelf non-conference opponents. During a press conference at Big 12 Football Media Days, McGuire challenged Texas A&M, among other programs in the Lone Star State, to reignite the in-state rivalries.

“If you’re a Texan and you’re a fan of the football in this state, then why would you go outside the state to play non-conference games if we’re not in conference anymore? Because you have such good football in this state,” McGuire asked. “I would love to play Texas, Texas A&M, SMU … I think it’s great for the state of Texas.”

Texas and Texas A&M have rekindled the once-lost rivalry with the Longhorns joining the SEC, but many of the great battles of the Southwest Conference era have been lost. McGuire argued that the top schools in Texas are “supposed to play” and theorized that it could lead the best recruits in the state to leave.

Texas Tech's head football coach Joey McGuire attends football practice on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, at the Sports Performance Center. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

From 1956 to 2011, Texas Tech and Texas A&M played every season, keeping the series alive following the Southwest Conference’s dissolution. However, the Aggies left the Big 12 for the SEC and have not met the Red Raiders on the gridiron since.

It is a similar situation for several other FBS programs in the Lone Star State. Texas A&M’s last game against SMU was in 2014; Baylor, 2011; TCU, 2001; and Houston, 1995. All four are currently in Power Four conferences.

The Aggies played the UTSA Roadrunners in 2025, but it was six years after their last non-conference FBS opponent from Texas, when they played Texas State and UTSA in 2019. Over that same time, they have played Sam Houston State, Abilene Christian, Prairie View A&M and Lamar as FCS opponents.

During an era in which college football has become optimized — eliminating regional rivalries in favor of conference realignment and scheduling non-conference buy-games to avoid unnecessary losses — McGuire’s pro-Texas football view is refreshing. However, it may fall on deaf ears.

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko during the second quarter against the UTSA Roadrunners at Kyle Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko discussed the self-interest of college football during SEC Spring Meetings in May. Talking about College Football Playoff expansion, he said that there is a difference between the good of the sport and what’s good for those in charge.

“There's a good of college football, where we better be really careful. I don't know why we're trying to become a trophy sport. I don't understand why that's something that we're trying to do,” Elko said. “Then there's self-preservation, right? And so if you really ask me on record, what does Mike Elko want? I want 40 [teams] because then I'll make it and then I won't get fired.”

“… None of us are answering for the good of the sport or answering for the good of ourselves. The different conferences want what they want because it's the best for them,” he said. “We're a billion-dollar industry that's getting governed in a lot of different, separate pockets, not with one unified leadership. And until that happens, I don't know how we solve anything.”

Texas A&M only has two scheduled non-conference opponents in 2027: a return game at Arizona State and a home game against Texas State. It seems unlikely that the Aggies will schedule the Red Raiders to bring back the Southwest Conference flair of the past, but it is not impossible.

While McGuire has ruffled feathers along the way, he may be able to reinstate some of the past in-state rivalries that have been lost over time.

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