The brewing Lone Star State standoff between the Texas Longhorns and the Texas Tech Red Raiders has completely taken over the college football offseason news cycle. After Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian fired a blatant shot at the Red Raiders’ 2026 schedule—boasting that his second- and third-string players could go undefeated playing it—Texas Tech aggressively issued a Week 1 ultimatum. Backed by oil tycoon and mega-booster Cody Campbell, Tech offered to cut a check to buy out both teams’ scheduled opponents (Abilene Christian and Texas State) to make a September 5th showdown happen.
Despite the intense public pressure, Texas has absolutely no intention of accepting the challenge. For the Longhorns, ducking this game isn't about fear; it’s a matter of cold, calculated business and football strategy. From a scheduling perspective, Texas has everything to lose and nothing to gain. Hosting Texas State is a highly lucrative, guaranteed home-revenue date at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium that the athletic department will not willingly forfeit.
Furthermore, the Longhorns face a brutal, legacy-defining matchup against Ohio State in Week 2. Playing a hyper-motivated, reigning Big 12 champion Texas Tech squad in Week 1—a team desperate to punish UT for abandoning the conference for the SEC—is the ultimate trap. Texas wants a predictable, low-stakes tune-up game to iron out kinks before welcoming the Buckeyes to Austin. Conceding the verbal battle allows Texas to focus on its singular goals: navigating a fierce SEC schedule and making the College Football Playoff, leaving the Red Raiders firmly in their rearview mirror.
Everydayer Club
If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Indeed
Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast
FanDuel
Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get one-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game.
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
