We are just weeks away from the college football season kicking off, and if there was ever any doubt that Joey McGuire was embracing Texas Tech’s new role as one of the most hated teams in college football, well, think again.
McGuire recently said, “We’re the most hated team in college football, and I absolutely love it,” according to On3.
And you know what? That’s exactly the angle McGuire should be taking.
Texas Tech fans certainly seem to be embracing it. They know what the conversation around their program has become this offseason, and they aren’t exactly running away from it. So why should their head coach? If everyone else wants to make Texas Tech the bad guy in college football, then go ahead and embrace being the bad guy.
There is some incredible irony in all of this, though.
For years, Texas Tech fans couldn’t stand the Texas Longhorns. Texas had the money. Texas had the attention. Texas had the big boosters and the recruiting advantages, and every move the Longhorns made became a national storyline. And if you were around the Big 12 for any length of time, you know how Texas Tech fans generally felt about their friends down in Austin.
Now Texas Tech is starting to find itself in a similar position.
Things come full circle in college football.
And while plenty of Big 12 fans are already getting tired of hearing about Texas Tech, Cody Campbell, money, NIL and everything else surrounding the Red Raiders, here’s what those fans need to remember: This is actually good for the conference.
Yes, really.
Having a Big 12 program that SEC and Big Ten fanboys love to hate is fantastic for this league. The Big 12 needs programs that generate national conversation. It needs teams that people outside the conference care enough about to watch, whether they’re watching because they want Texas Tech to win or because they desperately want to see the Red Raiders lose.
Either one works.
And if you’re a Big 12 fan, you should be perfectly fine with Texas Tech winning a bunch of games this fall — except, obviously, when the Red Raiders play your team.
Because the better Texas Tech is, the more it helps the Big 12. And then if your team beats Texas Tech, that win means more, too. Maybe it helps your program get more national attention. Maybe donors get more excited. Maybe more money starts flowing into the athletic department because everyone realizes what it takes to compete at the top of this conference.
That’s how this is supposed to work.
A rising tide lifts all boats, and the Big 12 needs as many programs as possible spending money, winning games and trying to become nationally relevant.
Now, there is one obvious problem with Texas Tech fully embracing its villain status: The Red Raiders still have to win something.
Texas Tech has won one Big 12 championship. One.
It would probably benefit the Red Raiders to stack up at least a couple of conference championships before declaring themselves college football’s new villain, but apparently we’re moving ahead of schedule. Everything got expedited this offseason, especially after the Brendan Sorsby fiasco, and suddenly Texas Tech went from being an interesting Big 12 contender to a program everyone seems to have an opinion about.
And the Big 12 has been looking for this team for a while.
Deion Sanders seemed like an obvious possibility. There’s no shortage of attention around Deion, but Colorado never really became the Big 12 villain.
Utah fans appeared interested in taking the job when the Utes joined the conference. That hasn’t really happened either.
BYU? Eh. There are definitely people who don’t care for the Cougars, but that’s a little more of a niche audience.
Enter the Red Raiders.
Cody Campbell has become arguably the most talked-about booster in college football. Texas Tech’s spending has become a national storyline. The Red Raiders have been aggressive, they haven’t apologized for it, and opposing fan bases have noticed.
It’s all come together almost perfectly.
And yes, I understand why it’s driving some Big 12 fans nuts. But if you’re one of those fans, understand that Texas Tech becoming nationally relevant is ultimately in your best interest.
You don’t have to cheer for them. In fact, please don’t. College football would be incredibly boring if everyone sat around holding hands and rooting for the conference.
Hate Texas Tech all you want.
Just understand that having a team worth hating is a pretty good problem for the Big 12 to have.
Now let’s buckle the chin straps, kick this thing off and sort it all out where it actually matters.
