"There's a team in our state in another conference with a schedule that I would argue, if I played with our twos and threes, we could go undefeated, and they'll probably make the CFP this year."
These are the words that set in motion one of the most passionate (and obviously, entertaining) interconference feuds in all of college sports this season. Steve Sarkisian, a former BYU quarterback and the current head coach of the SEC's Texas Longhorns, took a shot at Joey McGuire's Texas Tech team in a preseason media availability.
After jumping from the Big 12 Conference to their new home in the Southeast, Texas has been quick to look down upon the lowly programs in their former league, and though he didn't name Texas Tech directly (he got about as close as possible without saying it, unless he is a big believer in Texas State's CFP hopes), his words were not only pointed at the Red Raiders, but at the Big 12 as a whole when he said Tech's schedule was so easy that his team's second and third-string players could run the gauntlet unscathed.
McGuire obviously took exception from this.
Grinning and signaling that Sark should put his money where his mouth is, the head coach of last season's Big 12 champions reached out to Texas State and Abilene Christian -- the two programs facing this beef's participants in week one -- offering to buy out their week one games for a chance to face Texas on the field.
"We got our butts kicked last time we played him," McGuire responded to the Big 12 media. "I said there's no way they're talking about us, because Sark's a pretty tough guy, and I would think if he was talking about us, he'd call us out. [...] We'd love to play the University of Texas week one in Lubbock."
Joey McGuire shares his initial reaction upon hearing Steve Sarkisian's comments about #TexasTech last week:
— Cole Banker (@colebankertv) May 28, 2026
"I said there's no way they're talking about us... because Sark's a pretty tough guy... I would think if he was talking about us, he'd call us out."
"They can come to… pic.twitter.com/q7zS2h8tsv
"We can figure out if their twos and threes can win this conference," McGuire explained.
Kalani Sitake, the current head coach of BYU football was also present at the Big 12 media days, and was asked his thoughts on the interconference skirmish between Sark, a former Coug, and McGuire, a peer in the Big 12 Conference.
"Sark's a good friend of mine [from BYU]. Joey's my boy," Sitake began.
His response was so quintessential Kalani Sitake that I think it deserves to be engraved on a plaque above the gates to LaVell Edwards Stadium: "I just want to beat all of you."
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