Joey McGuire predicts all conferences will see major parity in 2025

A running theme in Frisco for Big 12 Media Days was how deep the conference will be. This usually leads to a ton of parity, especially in a nine-game conference schedule. From Commissioner Brett Yormark, head coaches, and even the players, everyone is preparing for a tough Big 12 game every week.

Texas Tech‘s Joey McGuire believes the parity will expand outside his own league, though. Appearing on The Triple Option podcast, McGuire said conferences across the country should be the same way. He went on to specifically name the SEC and a potentially slept-on contender.

“I think we’re going to see that in all of the conferences,” McGuire said. “I think you’re going to see that in the SEC. I think South Carolina is going to surprise a lot of people.”

Soon enough, we will find out how much of a surprise a good South Carolina team would be. SEC Media Days are set to get underway in Atlanta on Monday and the conference will release a preseason poll. Shane Beamer‘s bunch does have some backers out there due to the potential of quarterback LaNorris Sellers. McGuire appears to be right there.

Back to the overall point — host Rob Stone asked McGuire if a ton of parity is good for college football. He quickly interjected, explaining why the answer is yes. No league in the country gets watch more than the NFL, a place where the term “Any given Sunday” rings true on a weekly basis.

“I think it’s great,” McGuire said. “I think that the most watched football is at that NFL. One of the reasons it’s the most watched football is because anybody can beat anybody every single week, literally.”

In the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, there was a decent mix of conferences to make an appearance. The Big Ten led the way with four, followed by the SEC’s three. Two from the ACC earned bids while the Big 12 and Mountain West had one representative each. And then there was Notre Dame.

More balance could be on the way — if even possible — in McGuire’s eyes. At least from the Big 12’s perspective, where Yormark knows multiple bids are needed in the 2025 season. He even said a win or two would be nice as well. Whether or not the parity within the league will hurt or help them, we will see unfold this fall.