The Texas Longhorns have been on an exponential rise in the last few years, and their extraordinary first season in the SEC shows they are here to stay.
While Head Coach Steve Sarkisian is on the run to bolster its coaching staff and roster, Texas AD Chris Del Conte is not far behind in choosing the most powerful opponents for Texas to play in the coming years.
Texas AD Chris Del Conte States Longhorns Should Be Playing “Marquee” Opponents
During a program town hall this week, University of Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte revealed that he wants the football team to continue scheduling big-name non-conference opponents.
NEW: Texas AD Chris Del Conte says the Longhorns will continue to schedule marquee non-conference opponents🤘
“Our brand should play the greatest brands in college football because we are the best.”
(via @InsideTexas) https://t.co/y8IIgUs7yQ pic.twitter.com/y5iDhiv9mY
— On3 (@On3sports) February 27, 2025
“Our brand – and I firmly believe this – our brand should play the greatest brands in college football because we’re the best,” Del Conte said per On3. “We’re going to play Ohio State, we’re going to play Michigan, we just signed a home-and-home with Notre Dame. Those games matter.
“With a 12-game Playoff, those games matter,” the AD said. “They matter to me. They should matter to you. You want to play the very best.”
While teams have been rushing to find soft matchups to cushion their season records, Conte is rafting in the opposite direction. He believes the Texas program can handle tough opposition and easily make the playoffs.
“I’m not issuing a cupcake schedule,” Del Conte clarified. “Our coaches and our student-athletes aren’t. They want to play the very best. But we owe it to college football; we owe it to this organization to play the very best.
“That’s what we’re going to continue to do. We just announced Notre Dame a couple weeks ago, and keep your eyes peeled,” he hinted. “We’ll have another one. I just don’t want to get too far out.”
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Similarly, he has also revealed he supports increasing the number of conference games to nine. This would give Power Four opponents a chance to schedule future home-and-home series.
In 2025, the Texas Longhorns will open the season with a College Football Playoff Semifinal rematch against the reigning national champion Ohio State Buckeyes. They’ll also host San Jose State and in-state Group of Five schools UTEP and Sam Houston State.
On the horizon, Texas has big-time non-conference home-and-homes scheduled with the Michigan Wolverines and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
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