Texas Tech's Joey McGuire Calls Out SEC Powerhouse for Future Matchup

Texas Tech's Joey McGuire Calls Out SEC Powerhouse for Future Matchup originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The college football landscape is changing before our very eyes as the Texas Tech Red Raiders aim to transition from an afterthought of the sport to a perennial power.

With a significant increase in investment in its athletic department, the Red Raiders have emerged as one of the largest spenders in the sport, assembling the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country, according to On3.

While head coach Joey McGuire has been writing some checks that his team hasn't been able to cash, like the Big 12 running through Lubbock, the 2025 season could be the year of the Red Raiders. 

Aside from the nation's top portal class, the Red Raiders have the fourth-easiest schedule in the Big 12 and also rank No. 4 in college football in returning production, according to ESPN.

However, even with all of the buzz around his 2025 squad, McGuire took an opportunity at Tuesday's Big 12 Media Day to look beyond this season. The fourth-year head coach called out Brian Kelly and LSU, expressing interest in a future home-and-home.

"You know, I saw Brian Kelly say he'd love to play a Big Ten a team," McGuire said. "Hey man, I'd love to play LSU. Home-and-home series..."

As a change to the format of the College Football Playoff looms, the Big Ten and SEC have been looking out for one another and have flirted with the idea of a scheduling agreement. In the long run, it would help ensure they are guaranteed even more spots in the playoffs and could turn those matchups into play-in games for the same.

While it would strengthen Texas Tech's schedule, it's unclear if a program like LSU would view that matchup as worthy. Only time will tell, but clearly, McGuire is making it clear that he thinks Texas Tech belongs at the table with the powers.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.