Texas Tech Raiders lock in on a new long-term agreement with head coach Joey McGuire just days before the Big 12 title game against Kalani Sitake’s BYU Cougars after having one of the best regular seasons in a long time. According to Texas Tech’s AD Kirby Hocutt, the Red Raiders are not here to take a part and dip, but rather for a long-term takeover.

“Our success this season is not a one-year plan,” stated Kirby Hocutt, Texas Tech athletic director. “We fully intend to be an annual contender in the Big 12 Conference with our eyes on the College Football Playoff each and every season. We have the right leader in Coach McGuire to keep elevating this program.” Hocutt said after breaking the bank for Joey McGuire.

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire just inked a big-time seven-year contract extension as of today. This deal, which will pay him an average of nearly $7 million per year, locks him in through the 2032 season. Basically, they refuse to be one-season wonders, and they are planning to run it back as long as oil money stays between $60 to $70 dollars a barrel.

After finishing the 2024 season with a bowl game settlement, the Texas oil tycoon Cody Campbell decided to go hell-bent on making one of the best teams in the country. Joey McGuire brought a bunch of S-tier defense this offseason, including Romello Heights, David Stone, and a bunch of pieces on the offense.

And guess what? It’s all paying back in dividends in Year 1 itself. As of right now, they’re sitting pretty with an incredible 11–1 record and a 5th-place spot in the college football rankings. Almost the majority of their wins are by a 21-point margin. It’s the first time in school history they’ve made it to the championship, so the excitement in Lubbock must be through the roof.

McGuire took over as head coach back in 2021, and honestly, he hit the ground running pretty early on. Before this standout year, he had already managed to do something pretty rare: he’s only the second coach ever at the school to get his team into a bowl game in each of his first three seasons. He even won the first two bowl games he coached in—the Texas Bowl in 2022 and the Independence Bowl in 2023.

Let’s quickly look at his record so far. In his first year (2022), they went 8–5. The next year (2023), it was 7–6. Last season (2024), they improved to 8–5 again. And this year? A phenomenal 11–1 overall and 8–1 in conference play so far. That gives him a current career total of 34 wins and 17 losses.

Joey McGuire has come a long, long way. Before he was leading a college team, McGuire was a legendary high school coach in Texas. He spent 14 years at Cedar Hill High School and won three state championships there! He then moved on to Baylor as an assistant coach before Texas Tech snagged him for the head job.

It’s been a great journey, and with this new contract, it looks like he’s set to make even more history with the Red Raiders. It starts with this Saturday’s rematch against Kalani Sitake’s BYU in the Big 12 title game.

Texas Tech vs BYU: Joey McGuire’s squad to run them down again?

Texas Tech is a huge favorite going up against BYU this Saturday. Pretty much everyone expects the Red Raiders to take home the trophy.

The oddsmakers are all in on Tech, making them about a 13.5-point favorite. That means they’re projected to win by nearly two touchdowns. Which shouldn’t surprise anyone to be frank. When you look at the betting odds, Texas Tech has somewhere around an 81% chance of winning the game outright.

So, why the big gap in expectations against the 11-1 team? Apart from the No. 5 ranked tag, the Red Raiders are literally a threat on every aspect of the field. Their defense is just lights-out, allowing the fewest points in the entire country.

Plus, they already faced BYU once back in November and beat them easily, 29-7. All the sports gurus and analytics models agree: bet your mortgage on Tech to win. This game means everything for the Red Raiders. If they win, they are basically guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff with a first-round bye. For BYU, it’s pretty much a Hail Mary situation if they want a playoff spot. The popular consensus is that Texas Tech is bringing home that championship hardware this weekend.