Texas Tech has spent the offseason taking shots from around the country, and Joey McGuire isn’t pretending not to notice.
The Red Raiders have heard the noise from all directions: Texas coach Steve Sarkisian taking a swipe at their schedule, national voices blasting the school and McGuire for backing Brendan Sorsby through his gambling scandal, and plenty of other critics lining up to get their licks in. McGuire’s response has been pointed, and he made it clear earlier this month on Texas Tech’s What's Next podcast that the program is keeping score.
"Some people need to look in the mirror and check themselves before they open their mouths," said McGuire earlier this month on Texas Tech's What's Next podcast. "What's crazy is it's going to come back on them, meaning, they're going to have to deal with something that they don't want to have to deal with, and it's going to be interesting how they deal with it. Usually, it comes back around, and one way it's going to come back around is people better be ready to play the Red Raiders."
That backdrop matters because Texas Tech is not being treated like just another team in the Big 12. The Red Raiders have become a target precisely because they have built enough talent to matter. They can pull impact players out of the transfer portal, including Sorsby from Cincinnati or linebacker Austin Romaine from Kansas State, and they’re also landing blue-chip high school recruits from Georgia, Michigan, California and plenty of the top prospects in Texas.
That rise has also made them a convenient punching bag. Representatives from Cincinnati, Georgia, Kansas State, TCU and Texas were among the loudest voices criticizing Texas Tech this offseason.
McGuire, though, has made his feelings known, and he said Monday that his team is ready for the season to finally start.
No. 12 Texas Tech opens against Abilene Christian at 6 p.m. (CT) Saturday at Galaxy Stadium in Lubbock, TX, beginning a run that the Red Raiders hope ends with another Big 12 title and a return to the College Football Playoffs.
"We're really excited," McGuire said Monday during his game week press conference. "We do expect to win the Big 12.
We have a really good football team that has a high care factor. I don't know if I've ever been around a team more excited to play, and that's probably because the offseason we went through and all the things that were said about us, and people that questioned our integrity.
"I don't think I've been around a group more excited to play football and I think they're going to show up on Saturday and play really well."
In Other News...
Joey McGuire Just Pushed A Texas Tech Frustration Even Further
Texas Techs fan base has long prided itself on showing up, and Joey McGuire made sure to spotlight that loyalty during a recent press conference. The Red Raiders coach pointed to the strong support in West Texas, even with weather in the mix, while contrasting it with the sparse turnout for USCs season opener and the atmosphere around Lincoln Rileys program.
The remarks also land against a backdrop of lingering irritation in Lubbock, where reports say USC backed out of a proposed football series with Texas Tech in 2027 and 2028. McGuire did not shy away from bringing USC into the conversation, and for Red Raiders fans already annoyed by the idea of the matchup falling through, the comments only added another layer to the frustration. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Techs 2026 Roster Fight Just Reached A Crucial Stage
The eligibility fight around Texas Tech basketball keeps getting louder, and Donovan Atwells case has now moved into the courtroom. A Lubbock judge granted Atwell a temporary restraining order as part of his lawsuit seeking a fifth year of NCAA eligibility, adding another layer to a situation that has already become a real roster issue for the Red Raiders heading toward next season.
Atwells hearing is set for Sept. 11, 2026, and he is not the only one in the mix. Darrion Williams and Jamichael Stillwell have also filed lawsuits and received temporary restraining orders tied to their eligibility for the 2026-27 season, giving Texas Tech a trio of active legal battles that could shape how its roster takes form. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Landed On A Big 12 List Fans Wont Like
The Big 12s preseason conversation already has a familiar edge to it for Texas Tech, which is being viewed as one of the teams most likely to underdeliver relative to expectations. The league preview circles five programs in that category, with the Red Raiders grouped alongside Houston, TCU, BYU and Utah as teams facing plenty of scrutiny before the first snap. For Tech, that only raises the temperature around a season that will be judged against a much bigger backdrop than ordinary conference progress.
The reasons are the usual ones in a wide-open league: roster questions, the challenge of matching momentum with consistency, and the reality that outside expectations can quickly turn into pressure. This kind of preseason list is less about a single prediction than the sense that several programs have a narrow path to meeting the bar placed in front of them. For the Red Raiders, it means every early result will be read not just as a win or loss, but as an early clue to whether they are tracking with the standard people around the program expect. [Read more 🡒]