A school official acknowledged on Wednesday, Aug. 5, that discussions to match the Texas Tech football team in two games against Southern California fell through, putting the Red Raiders on even shorter
notice to find Power Four non-conference opponents for 2027 and 2028.
On3's Brett McMurphy reported this week that the decision not to square off in 2027 in Houston and in 2028 in Las Vegas, Nevada, came from USC's side, which athletics officials from both schools acknowledged on Wednesday.
"There was an element to that series that we've been working on for several months," Tech deputy athletics director Jonathan Botros said, "and I think everybody did their best to make it happen. ... We were all in. It would have been, I think, a fantastic matchup for fans of both teams, so we put a lot of effort into making that happen. It just didn't come together at the end."
Cody Worsham, a USC senior associate AD, told the Avalanche-Journal, "A point of clarity I want to make is — Brett McMurphy's tweet didn't quite cover this: We never actually reached an agreement to play Texas Tech. We did have conversations, obviously."
Worsham declined to elaborate on why USC's interest ceased, but issued a statement saying, "Texas Tech is one of many schools we have had conversations with regarding future non-conference scheduling opportunities. We will continue to play competitive matchups that align with our program’s goals, excite our fans, and position USC Football for success."
Tech's future non-conference schedules unraveled in recent months when North Carolina State decided to buy out of a 2027 game in Lubbock and Mississippi State canceled a 2028 and 2029 home-and-home series with the Red Raiders. The ACC's and the SEC's going from eight-game to nine-game conference schedules triggered the moves.
The swing and miss with USC narrowed the window.
"It's tight. It's uncomfortable, right?" Botros said. "You want to keep yourself open to providing a matchup that puts you in the best possible spot as it relates to vying for a playoff spot, also bringing a matchup that brings excitement to the fans and provides for the opportunity for great viewership.
"But at the same time, there's very, very limited opportunities at this point. The overwhelming majority of schools have a full slate. I've been texting with a few ADs this morning, and between (their) already having a Power Four opponent or having a full schedule, you get to a point where there's just not a lot of options, so the timing, really, has been challenging for us."
Finding replacements isn't as simple as scanning future schedules of Power Four conference teams and listing potential opponents for the Red Raiders. Such lists have circulated.
"I've seen some of those same reports," Botros said. "I don't know where some of those schools come from. Ole Miss, for example, I know is full for next year. Virginia is a school we talked to early on. That's not one that I think has any potential at this point."
Asked to elaborate on Virginia, Botros said, "It was not for a lack of interest. I know it was just based on opponents and what they had available versus what we could do at the time."
One plus: Tech coach Joey McGuire has told his bosses he'll play anybody.
"There hasn't been a single matchup or potential opponent that we've brought him," Botros said, "including having discussions with CFP teams from a year ago, that he's said, 'No, don't want to talk about that one.' "
Tech AD Kirby Hocutt has made it a priority to play seven home games a year — mainly to help the Red Raiders' chances of making the College Football Playoff, also to maximize the revenue opportunity provided by Galaxy Stadium's new south end zone building. The narrowed time frame to fill the holes could force Tech and its potential partners to be creative, though.
"You talk to schools about the opportunity to play a neutral-site game with NIL opportunities and financial opportunities that they may be interested in moving off of one of their current games," Botros said. "That's something that we're looking at as well. We're really trying to look at every angle of this."
In a worst-case scenario, Tech could be forced to ask the Big 12 for an exemption to the conference mandate of playing at least one Power Four non-conference opponent every year.
"We'd have to have a conversation with them based on the timing of everything and the effort that we've put into trying to find a P4," Botros said. "We'd have to talk to them, because that requirement is still there. I think the Big Ten doesn't have that requirement, but the other Power Four leagues do. At this point, with how close we are, there is potential that we'd have to look at playing a Group of Six opponent."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: After USC-Texas Tech football talks fizzle, here's Tech's thinking
