Texas Tech and Texas have sparred publicly over a matchup this season, but no game has been scheduled between the two programs. On Friday, ESPN‘s Pat McAfee turned an already-heated scheduling debate into something bigger. What started as a war of words between the two teams is now a business proposal, at least for McAfee.
“This is a whole new spectacle that can be sold to networks here,” he proposed. “I don’t know who would be the ones doing the selling because obviously this is a Big 12 and SEC team, but this becomes the Texas Bowl basically to kick off college football season.
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“If we were to do that Thursday night, one of these streaming platforms would love to have that, right?. That would be, ‘Hey, now we’re doing the business, aren’t we? All of a sudden we’re doing the business.’”
During a segment on The Pat McAfee Show, Pat McAfee rebranded a potential Texas-Texas Tech Week 1 showdown as the “Texas Bowl.” He pitched it as a standalone Thursday-night event that could launch the college football season in blockbuster fashion, allowing ESPN College GameDay to attend the matchup before heading to Baton Rouge for the highly anticipated LSU vs Clemson showdown.
And indeed, a Texas-Texas Tech season opener would be great for television, considering the animosity that’s already there. Also, it’s one of college football’s most recognizable brands against an in-state rival who was in the playoffs after winning the Big 12 championship in 2025. Plus, the Red Raiders have spent the past several years constantly demanding a matchup against the Longhorns.
Syndication: South Bend Tribune ESPN host Pat McAfee jokes with staff before the ESPN College GameDay show on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, on the Hesburgh Library lawn on the University of Notre Dame campus in South Bend. The show was to highlight the Notre Dame-Ohio State game. , EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGREGxSWIERCZx USATSI_21485343
As of now, Texas Tech’s 2026 season opener against Abilene Christian will be on FS1. Texas, meanwhile, is scheduled to open against Texas State on ESPN. Of course, there are complications. Texas now lives in the SEC, while Texas Tech remains a major player in the Big 12. TV rights, conference approvals, existing contracts, and scheduling logistics would all have to be navigated before anyone gets ahead of themselves. But Pat McAfee didn’t sound worried about those obstacles, and neither did Cody Campbell, who joined him on the show.
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“We’re getting it done,” the billionaire Texas Tech booster said, embracing the idea. “Absolutely. I mean, there’s a lot of money in it. There’s a lot of pride in it. It would be a packed house. It’d be amazing.”
And then, he added provocation to the pitch.
“I mean, why wouldn’t we play?” he added. “We’ve been talking about playing for 5 years. They refused to play us because, again, I think they’re more steers than they are bulls down there in Austin. These West Texas boys, we’re ready to go. We’re ready to roll. Let’s do it.”
All these talks go back to Steve Sarkisian’s comments earlier this month. Without naming Texas Tech directly, he suggested another Texas-based program had such an easy schedule that his backups could run through it undefeated.
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“And they’ll probably make the CFP this year,” he said.
Following that jab, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire publicly invited Texas to play his team in Week 1 and even suggested both schools buy out their existing opponents to make it happen. Now, thanks to Pat McAfee’s idea, the conversation is no longer just about football.
Why Pat McAfee thinks this matchup could be bigger than a rivalry
Pat McAfee knows that media networks are no longer keeping all their biggest games under one roof. Instead, major events are being shared across different media partners. A recent example is ESPN’s expanded agreement with TNT Sports for future CFP games. TNT will now air additional CFP games and have more opportunities to sell advertising around those broadcasts.
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That’s why Pat McAfee sees potential in a Texas-Texas Tech opener. A Week 1 matchup between the schools would have plenty of appeal. It would feature an in-state rivalry and weeks of built-in storylines. Simply put, it would be one of the most talked-about games of opening weekend.
“We would love to play the University of Texas Week 1 in Lubbock,” Joey McGuire said at the Big 12 spring meetings on Thursday, while adding a memorable jab. “We can figure out if their twos and threes can win this conference.”
Whether it actually happens remains uncertain. But if Steve Sarkisian, both schools, and the conferences can find common ground, Pat McAfee’s Thursday-night “Texas Bowl” idea could become the kind of made-for-TV event that streaming platforms are looking for.
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