Whether it’s basket-weaving chirps or unwarranted shots at an opponent’s schedule, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has seemed unable to resist the soap opera that college football has become.

Earlier this month, Steve Sarkisian was quoted telling USA Today that “all you have to do is take basket weaving, and you can get an Ole Miss degree.” Although Sarkisian has since walked back the remarks, calling them a “poor choice of words,” he has now pulled the Longhorns into yet another media-fueled controversy.

At a booster event a week ago, Sarkisian said “there’s a team in our state in another conference with a schedule that I would argue, if I played with our 2s and 3s, we could go undefeated, and they’ll probably make the CFP this year.”

Without naming Texas Tech directly, the entire college football world knew who Sarkisian was referencing. While Sarkisian’s comments may have a sliver of truth – the Red Raiders nonconference schedule features Abilene Christian, Oregon State and Sam Houston, and their Big 12 lineup is relatively lackluster – the remarks were ultimately unnecessary.

Now, Texas is being challenged by its once bitter Big 12 rival.

Following Sarkisian’s diss of the Red Raiders, Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said his team would love to play the Longhorns Week 1 of the 2026 college football season.

While McGuire’s offer was serious, several hurdles would have to be cleared to make the matchup possible. First, both teams already have opponents scheduled for Week 1: Texas Tech will face Abilene Christian, while Texas is set to play Texas State. Additionally, both Abilene Christian and Texas State are being paid to play their respective in-state Power 4 opponents.

Yet, despite these challenges, the Red Raiders doubled down on their offer.

Notorious Texas Tech booster and Chairman of the Board of Regents for Texas Tech University Cody Campbell offered to pay the buyout for both teams’ Week 1 opponents, a sum that equates to $2.4 million according to FBSchedules.

Now, the college football world is clamoring for the Longhorns to back up their comments and travel to Lubbock for a Week 1 matchup that would be fueled by bad blood.

And why shouldn’t they? Texas owns an 18–5 record against Texas Tech, including a 57–7 victory in the most recent meeting between the programs in 2023.

However, college football looks much different than it did three years ago, and anyone who thinks this is as simple as “spotting the ball,” as Texas Tech likes to say, is living in a fantasy land. But who can blame them? The game would be must-watch, UFC-esque television.

Texas arguably has the toughest schedule in college football. Its Week 2 matchup against projected top-ranked Ohio State stands as the premier nonconference game of the season. On top of that, they face an SEC schedule laden with challenging matchups.

They open conference play with a road trip to Neyland Stadium in a matchup seemingly destined for prime time. They follow that up with a neutral-site showdown against Red River rival and 2025 CFP participant Oklahoma. On Oct. 24, they host 2025 CFP semifinalist Ole Miss. Less than a month later, they travel to Death Valley to face the revamped, Kiffin-led LSU Tigers. Oh, and to cap the regular season, they head to Kyle Field for a rivalry showdown with Texas A&M.

Imagine adding 2025 Big 12 champion Texas Tech to that schedule—and on the road, no less. I’d certainly pass, even if Sarkisian’s comments have earned him a matchup with the Red Raiders.

Some may argue that Texas Tech’s status as the Big 12 favorite is weakened by the absence of Cincinnati transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who is currently fighting for NCAA eligibility while addressing allegations related to gambling violations. Yet, the Red Raiders appear to be stronger at quarterback than many realize.

Redshirt sophomore Will Hammond appeared in eight games for the Red Raiders in 2025 before suffering a torn ACL in a Week 9 matchup against Oklahoma State. Across those eight appearances, he accounted for 12 touchdowns, throwing for seven and rushing for five. The Austin native is expected to be cleared for all football activities on Aug. 21 and is pushing to be ready for Week 1.

Furthermore, Texas Tech projects to field a formidable defensive unit, the driving force behind its 12–2 record last season. So, while Sorsby’s eligibility status remains uncertain, the Red Raiders should remain the Big 12 favorites regardless of who is under center.

Adding this daunting matchup to an already brutal schedule is a mistake Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte is unlikely to make.

Remember, this is a Texas team that believes it would have made last season’s College Football Playoff had it scheduled a lesser opponent instead of opening the year with a trip to Columbus. And, in reality, the Longhorns probably have a point. While the committee ultimately left them out, their road loss to a 4–8 Florida team likely carried far more weight than a competitive defeat to Ohio State ever could.

While the game doesn’t make much logistical sense for Texas, it would be a home-run opportunity for the Red Raiders.

Although Campbell and other Texas Tech boosters would likely need to allocate roughly $2.5 million to cover the buyouts, the Red Raiders could recoup a significant portion of that cost through ticket revenue alone. If the game were to happen, it would arguably be Texas Tech’s biggest home game since the Red Raiders upset No. 1 Texas in 2008 on Michael Crabtree’s game-winning touchdown catch with one second remaining.

Further, any outcome from a hypothetical Week 1 matchup with Texas would leave Tech in a favorable position.

With a win, the Red Raiders would immediately enter the conversation as a legitimate College Football Playoff contender and potentially create a path to an at-large berth without winning the Big 12.

With a loss, they would largely remain in the same position they would after beating Abilene Christian. The only truly damaging outcome would be a lopsided defeat.

That being said, don’t expect Texas Tech to suffer any blowout losses – they’re simply too talented.

As entertaining as it is to indulge in the growing hype surrounding a Texas Tech-Texas showdown and imagine what a Week 1 meeting might look like, the reality is that the game is never going to happen. From Texas’ perspective, the risk far outweighs the reward.

Still, Sarkisian would be better served focusing on his own team. The Longhorns are loaded with talent, and if they were to miss the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive season, questions about the head coach would become impossible to ignore.