Texas Tech Coach Offers Payout for Texas Game

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire has publicly challenged the University of Texas to a football game this September, offering to arrange and pay for the cancellation of both teams' scheduled season openers to make the matchup happen. The proposal, made Thursday at the Big 12 Conference spring meetings, is a direct response to recent comments by Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian about the perceived weakness of an in-state rival's schedule.

Last month, Sarkisian told a gathering of supporters that there is a team in the state, in another conference, with a schedule so favorable that even using his second- and third-string players, his team could go undefeated and that team would still likely make the College Football Playoff. While not naming Texas Tech, the description was widely interpreted as a reference to the Red Raiders.

In response, McGuire stated that Texas Tech is prepared to buy out its own opening game against Abilene Christian and would also cover the buyout for Texas's scheduled opener against Texas State. He said both of those smaller programs have indicated a willingness to accept payment and play each other instead. McGuire extended the invitation for a Week 1...