Joey McGuire says Texas Tech is college football’s most hated team, and the Red Raiders are turning the villain label into motivation for a huge 2026 season.
Texas Tech football spent the offseason making noise, collecting enemies and becoming one of the most talked-about programs in college football. Joey McGuire’s response? Bring it on.
The Red Raiders coach has no interest in softening Texas Tech’s suddenly polarizing reputation. During an interview with On3’s Brett McMurphy, McGuire revealed the message he delivered to his team: Texas Tech may be the “most hated team” in the sport - and he loves it.
That’s quite a transformation for a program that not long ago was fighting simply to get back into the national conversation.
Now everybody seems to have an opinion about the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech attacked the transfer portal aggressively again, with quarterback Brendan Sorsby among the biggest additions before his offseason gambling controversy created another wave of attention.
There’s also been plenty of back-and-forth surrounding former rival Texas, particularly over non-conference scheduling and the possibility of the two programs eventually meeting again.
Instead of treating all that noise like a distraction, McGuire appears determined to make it part of Texas Tech’s identity.
It fits.
The Red Raiders were much easier for outsiders to embrace when they were the upstart crashing the party.
A run to the Big 12 championship changed the equation. Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez became one of the faces of that rise, helping give Texas Tech the swagger of a program that didn’t care much about the established college football hierarchy.
Now comes the tougher assignment: winning when nobody overlooks you.
McGuire also raised eyebrows by discussing Texas Tech’s trouble securing marquee non-conference opponents. He said USC, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and NC State have either canceled or declined potential matchups.
There are plenty of reasons schools make scheduling decisions, particularly in the expanded College Football Playoff era. But Texas Tech can certainly argue that playing the Red Raiders has become a much more dangerous proposition.
That’s the entire point of what McGuire has built in Lubbock.
Texas Tech doesn’t want to be viewed as a nice story anymore. The Red Raiders want championships, playoff appearances and a permanent seat at college football’s adult table.
And if that means becoming the team opposing fan bases love to hate?
McGuire sounds perfectly comfortable wearing the black hat.
The danger, of course, is that embracing the villain role only works if Texas Tech keeps winning. Swagger without results gets old quickly.
But if the Red Raiders back it up in 2026, the boos might only get louder.
And judging by McGuire’s message, that’s exactly how Texas Tech wants it.
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