Big 12 head coach proposes how to fix college football calendar, transfer portal issues

This fourth-year head coach outlines a radical schedule shift to fix transfer portal congestion.

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire offered solutions to the college football calendar, which has come under scrutiny following the drastic results of several coaching changes this year. | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

The current college football landscape places immense pressure on coaches and administrators as the expanded College Football Playoff, the early signing period, and the transfer portal window converge in December.

This chaotic timeline forces programs to make pivotal roster decisions while critical games are still being played. It creates a dynamic in which prominent figures like Lane Kiffin depart the Ole Miss Rebels for the LSU Tigers, while players opt out of postseason contests to secure their futures.

Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire offered a specific solution to these issues during his media availability on Monday. McGuire proposed a radical shift that would move the entire season forward to alleviate congestion in December and January.

The fourth-year coach argues the current setup fails to protect team integrity during the most critical months of the year. He joins a growing chorus of those in the college football community calling for calendar reform.

McGuire emphasized that shifting dates without moving the actual games acts as a temporary fix rather than a root solution. "I don't want the portal in the spring," McGuire said. "I want to know what my team is in January so I can create my team and what we did this last year in the chemistry and everything. And so you're just putting a band-aid over the problem until we address the calendar."

Joey McGuire proposes earlier season start, tampering penalties

The solution involves treating late August differently to create space on the back end of the schedule. McGuire believes the sport should use the calendar space available before Labor Day to ensure the postseason does not bleed into the spring semester.

"In my opinion, we all should have played on August 23rd," McGuire said. "So instead of Week 0, we play. That's Week 1. That would mean with the byes and everything, the conference championships would have been played over Thanksgiving."

#TexasTech HC Joey McGuire's thoughts on the current CFP calendar, head coaching changes overtaking the headlines & how he thinks college football can fix it

It's long but worth the listen. pic.twitter.com/kF1UZihyeo

— Emily Wisniewski (@sportsemilyw) December 1, 2025

Under this proposal, the postseason timeline accelerates significantly to crown a champion on New Year's Day. McGuire noted that if the first round were played on a Saturday, followed by weekly quarterfinals and semifinals, "you actually could play the national championship on January 1st and then the portal would open on January 2nd."

Beyond the schedule, the Texas Tech leader called for stricter penalties regarding coaching movement. He compared the current environment to the NFL where tampering rules protect franchises. McGuire suggested that if a coach leaves a playoff team, the new program could face playoff ineligibility the following season.

Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire offered potential changes to improve the college football calendar. | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

He also floated the idea of restricting players from immediately following a departing coach to a new destination. "Nobody from your past team or your team that you're coaching at can go to the team that you're going to," McGuire said. "They can get in the transfer portal. But they've got to go somewhere else."

"We've got to push the calendar up and we've got to get football out of the second semester," McGuire said. "We're not supposed to be playing college football on January 19th."