Texas AD Drops Bombshell on Future Big-Name Matchups Amid SEC’s Scheduling Shakeup

Athletic director Chris Del Conte told the Austin American-Statesman that Texas has no plans to get out of its upcoming non-conference games with Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame. The No. 1 Longhorns visit the No. 3 Buckeyes on Saturday in the biggest game of Week 1.

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“The brand of Texas, we owe it to college football to play this type of game,” Del Conte said. “We have Michigan, we have Ohio State, we just scheduled Notre Dame. We had USC, we had LSU and we had a nine-game [conference] schedule in the Big 12. I think with the discussions going around the CFP whether expansion or not, the regular season matters. Are we talking about the NFL opening games right now? No, they’re talking about Texas playing Ohio State, they’re talking about Alabama playing Florida State, Clemson playing LSU. These games really set the tone for college. We’re not shying away from it. We want to preserve college football in the national landscape.

But with other power conference opponents on the Tide’s schedule in 2026 and 2027 — Alabama hosts FSU next year and plays at Ohio State in 2027 — the West Virginia game was expendable.