McGuire not shy in scheduling remarks
Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire remarked Tuesday he would like to schedule LSU in a home-and-home series. It is the latest in a string of remarks that make up a radical thinking mindset on scheduling for the now-fourth year head coach.
McGuire has gone on record before saying he would like to play Texas or Texas A&M. Back in the spring, McGuire proposed practicing with those schools, or even Oklahoma. Proximity is important in scheduling, but so is playing competitively.
“The strength of scheduling thing is interesting to me because there’s an entity out there that is saying this is the strength of schedule. And is it (really), you know?” McGuire said in the breakout portion of Big 12 Media Days Tuesday. “I mean like this, the same people are saying that this is the toughest conference that you play in, and so you play each other. That’s the strength of schedule. So strength of schedule is interesting.”
McGuire says OOC scheduling needs to be home-and-home
In 2025, Texas Tech will host Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Kent State and Oregon State to open the season. Less than ideal for the Red Raiders should they face strength of schedule arguments come College Football Playoff selection time. McGuire is thinking ahead— not only about his own opponents, but also towards another gateway for aggressive scheduling.
“I do think it’s important, though, if we want to sit here and talk about how do you have a play-in game,” McGuire continued. “Let’s say it’s a non-conference game, but it’s not at the first of the year. If you win the conference, then you’re automatically in. Then let’s say the third place Big 12 team, I don’t want to play the fourth place Big 12 team. I want to play the third place SEC team. I want to play the third place Big Ten team. Something like that.”
With teams having scheduling agreements so far in advance, it is tough to imagine a reality in the near future where Tech could play the Aggies or the Longhorns again. Nevermind the personal animosity behind those relationships.
“I think maybe you don’t have three games that you’re playing. Maybe you have two,” McGuire said. “There’s no reason for us not to. I’ll just tell you one thing about the schedule: I want a home-and-home and I want it the very next year. I got my butt kicked at North Carolina State and I don’t get to play Dave Doeren for another couple of years. Which makes no sense to me. Let’s make it a home-and-home and let’s play that way.”
McGuire’s fixes to CFB calendar
McGuire, as well as several other coaches, have spoken in depth on the unrest that lies within the college football calendar. The coaches at a roundtable during Media Days acknowledged the need for more coach involvement in legislature and rules decisions. McGuire was not shy in giving his idea of how to fix the calendar.
“I have a whole different way that I think the calendar should be adjusted,” he remarked. “I would love for zero week to be the number week one. Just like it was a long time ago in high school in the state of Texas. Make zero week, week one. Guess what? We could play the Big 12 Championship on Thanksgiving, so the season ends on Thanksgiving.
“We can start bowl games and the playoffs earlier. So now we get a football schedule out of the second semester. This is not supposed to be a second semester sport. We’ve created that. A lot of things have to be done away with.”
