They say college football bowls have lost their charm. But Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and their rookie linebacker Jeffrey Bassa proved otherwise. The duo went all-in on the Orange Bowl, and when Mahomes lost the bet to Bassa, the fallout landed squarely on Joey McGuire and a Texas Tech squad already stuck with a 0-23 heartbreak.

“There you go,” said Jeffrey as he captured Mahomes wearing a Ducks jersey as posted on his IG story on January 2. “Yes, Sir.”

Teammates on Sundays, rivals on bowl night. Even though Mahomes and Jeffrey Bassa now share a Chiefs locker room, their college loyalties split them down the middle in the Orange Bowl. Mahomes rode with his alma mater, Joey McGuire’s Texas Tech, while Bassa was all-in for Oregon.

McGuire and company couldn’t deliver for their most famous alum, and Bassa was more than satisfied to relish the moment. The Chiefs linebacker said Friday he wasted no time grabbing one of his old Oregon jerseys to present to Mahomes after the Orange Bowl.

“I definitely brought that jersey in, the all-white warp speed jersey,” Bassa answered. “Me and him were joking about it in the training room earlier. He was like, ‘Man, you got the jersey quick.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, no, man. I was not playing.'”

Long before McGuire showed up in Lubbock, Mahomes was already lighting up scoreboards. From 2014 to 2016, the Texas Tech quarterback threw for 11,252 yards and 93 touchdowns, took home the Sammy Baugh Trophy, and capped his run with Second-Team All-Big 12 and Academic All-American honors. 

He declared for the NFL Draft after his junior year, forgoing his senior season. The rest, as they say, is history.

Cut to Bassa, who has also been an asset to the Oregon squad. He wrapped up his Ducks’ chapter with 236 total tackles, including 125 solo.  

“Jeff’s a versatile player,” Dan Lanning said in an interview in 2022. “Obviously, he came here as a safety and then grew and moved into a linebacker position.”

The NFL called Mahomes’ name in 2017, but his Texas Tech ties never diminished. After McGuire’s Red Raiders steamrolled Kalani Sitake’s BYU Cougars 34-7 in the 2025 conference title game, Mahomes hit social media to show love for his alma mater.

“Proud of them boys! Big 12 Champs! Congrats @TexasTechFB,” wrote the City Chiefs quarterback on X. “Job not done!!! #WreckEm.”

Mahomes’ relationship with McGuire and Texas Tech runs deep. He invested $5 million in the program and partnered with the Red Raiders through NIL deals with Adidas and Team Mahomes. 

“I think he probably sleeps in a Double-T every night,” McGuire said on The Triple Option. “Like, he is just all freaking in on Texas Tech.”

But McGuire’s proud alum could no longer support his alma mater this time. 

Oregon’s defense slammed the door early for Joey McGuire’s squad

Oregon put Texas Tech in a straitjacket, holding McGuire and Co. to season lows across the board: 215 passing yards, 78 rushing yards, and just nine first downs.

They handed an AP top-5 team its first shutout since 2018. A squad that entered at +17 in turnover margin? It walked out at -3.

McGuire’s squad rolled into the Orange Bowl with a bye and big expectations, then ran straight into an Oregon brick wall. They had fewer than four yards per play and four turnovers. The Ducks jumped on Texas Tech early, choking the Red Raiders to six total plays in the opening quarter.

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On drive No. 3, freshman Brandon Finney Jr. picked off Behren Morton, the first of three takeaways on the night. McGuire’s squad went nearly 18 minutes without a first down and crawled to halftime with just three first downs and 88 yards, down only 6-0. 

But the tone flipped fast in the third, when an Oregon turnover gifted Tech the ball at its own 31. That window slammed shut in a hurry. Matayo Uiagalelei blew up Morton for a strip-sack, scooped it himself, and rumbled all the way to the 6-yard line. Oregon cashed in with a touchdown, and from there, Texas Tech was chasing shadows.

“I’m sorry that we let you down,” said McGuire in the post-game presser. “But I hope you’ve enjoyed every second of this year.”

The waiting game is on for Joey McGuire to heal Patrick Mahomes’ Orange Bowl bruise and earn his trust all over again.