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Texas Offers 2026 Week 1 Tech Game, Covers $2.8 M Buyouts

5/29/2026

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Summary

McGuire Proposes Buyout

Joey McGuire offered a Week 1, 2026 Texas-Texas Tech game on May 28, 2026.
He said Texas could buy out the Sept. 5, 2026 Abilene Christian game for $375,000 (or $1 million if canceled) and the Texas State game for $2.4 million total.
Donor Cody Campbell posted that Texas Tech will pay both buyouts.
It follows Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s May 21, 2026 comment that a “team in our state” could go undefeated.

Summary

Texas Tech Dominates

Texas Tech opened the 2026 WCWS with an 8-0 win over Mississippi State on May 28 at Devon Park.
Jackie Lis’ two-run homer in the first inning sparked the Red Raiders’ early lead.
NiJaree Canady delivered four scoreless innings, moving to 26-6 and 1,103 career strikeouts.
Coach Samantha Ricketts blamed nerves for Mississippi State’s slow start and urged belief before the elimination matchup with Texas.

History

Historical Context

After the Big 12’s 2001 expansion raised conference payouts to $78 million, the league secured a $2.6 billion ESPN/Fox media-rights deal in 2012 and a $380 million annual renewal in 2022, cementing costly buyout clauses. A 2023 settlement let Oklahoma and Texas exit early, paving the way for Joey McGuire’s 2026 buyout proposal and Jackie Lis’s WCWS homer to echo those financial pressures.

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McGuire Proposes Buyout

Joey McGuire offered a Week 1, 2026 Texas-Texas Tech game on May 28, 2026.
He said Texas could buy out the Sept. 5, 2026 Abilene Christian game for $375,000 (or $1 million if canceled) and the Texas State game for $2.4 million total.
Donor Cody Campbell posted that Texas Tech will pay both buyouts.
It follows Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s May 21, 2026 comment that a “team in our state” could go undefeated.

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