Cody Campbell claims Texas Tech will pay Texas' buyout of Texas State for Week 1 game

Texas and Texas Tech have not met on the football field since the Longhorns left the Big 12 in favor of the SEC. But after comments were made by Steve Sarkisian, folks in West Texas are trying to change that.

On Thursday, Joey McGuire called for the two schools to buy out their Week 1 games and face off — either in Lubbock or at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Shortly after, Cody Campbell went one step further. Campbell said Texas Tech will cover the money needed to cancel the Texas and Texas Tech season openers.

“Upping the ante: @TechAthletics will pay the buyout for both the ACU and Texas State games,” Campbell said via X. “Let’s go!!! @CoachSark @_delconte“

[ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ]

So, exactly how much would this endeavor cost Texas Tech? A decent amount, according to FBSchedules. Whoever is covering the bill at Texas Tech would be on the hook for around $2.4 million.

“That would be $1.4 million to Texas State and $1 million to Abilene Christian, unless negotiated down,” FBSchedules said via X.

Of course, there is more to the equation than just a Week 1 game. Texas will go into a fierce nonconference battle the following Saturday, welcoming the Ohio State Buckeyes to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas Tech has its top non-Big 12 showdown of the season too, heading up to Corvallis to play Oregon State.

If nothing else, the ball is now in the court of Texas. Campbell got things rolling by originally calling for the matchup to take place. McGuire followed suit, saying they wanted to make the game happen. Now, Campbell gets back involved by offering to pay the required buyouts of both teams.

More on the long-storied football history between Texas, Texas Tech

Texas and Texas Tech go all the way back to 1928, when the first game between the two schools took place in Austin. But the continuous side of the rivalry did not commence until 1960. The Southwest Conference’s formation pitted the Longhorns and Red Raiders annually. Eventually, this spilled over into the Big 12 before ending in 2023.

Sarkisian himself got two shots at Texas Tech while wearing Texas colors. Those are split right down the middle, in terms of results. McGuire got to party in Lubbock after a 37-24 victory in 2022, only for people down in the state’s capital to enjoy the 57-7 win on Black Friday 2023.