Texas Tech Coach Critiques Notre Dame’s Independence

Texas Tech Red Raiders football coach Joey McGuire recently expressed his thoughts on the independent status of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish following a victory over the BYU Cougars. He acknowledged BYU’s move from independence to joining the Big 12 Conference and touted the significance of that transition.

In his post-game remarks, McGuire stated, “I have a lot of respect for BYU. I really do.” He went on to say that he was excited when BYU joined the Big 12, emphasizing their weight and respect within the conference. He remarked on their approach of not playing a standard schedule like some other teams, notably referencing Notre Dame indirectly.

“They’ve earned that right just like everyone else,” he explained. However, he noted that others, through conference play, face more challenging circumstances.

Interestingly, Notre Dame and the University of Washington are the only colleges that maintain independent schedules. For the Fighting Irish, they’ve stuck to that structure aside from a temporary switch in 2020 due to the pandemic that affected many sports.

This season, the 10th-ranked Fighting Irish have encountered three ranked teams, managing to secure one win against them. Notably, they still have a matchup ahead against the 24th-ranked Pittsburgh.

In contrast, the 8th-ranked Texas Tech has exclusively faced second-ranked teams this season and has emerged victorious in each encounter.

When asked about McGuire’s comments, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman chose to focus on his team’s upcoming game against Pittsburgh rather than engage in any drama arising from the remarks.

The anticipation builds as the next round of College Football Playoff rankings will be revealed soon.