Texas is one of the most noticeable programs in college football. The Longhorns’ athletic director, Chris Del Conte, is aware of that fact. Annually being on the brightest stages the sport has to offer keeps his team in the limelight.
Del Conte believes Texas should carry on with squaring off against other national powers in non-conference play.
“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 Wednesday during a town hall. “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.
“They matter to me. They should matter to you. You want to play the very best.”
The Longhorns defeated Michigan on the road early last season. They open next fall’s schedule against the defending national champions in Columbus.
Del Conte continued: “I’m not issuing a cupcake schedule. 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.”
He also hinted toward scheduling another future marquee opponent, but didn’t specify who.
Not everybody agrees with Del Conte’s view. Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule believes powerful non-conference games are hurtful to his team’s chances at reaching the College Football Playoff.
“Why in the world would a Big Ten team who’s already playing nine conference games, why would you ever play one of these games?” Rhule said on “The Triple Option” podcast on Wednesdsay. “There were some SEC teams that, last year, only played three away games in another team’s stadium.”
Texas, much like Nebraska, plays in a powerful conference. Del Conte doesn’t seem daunted by the negative effects of scheduling the likes of the sport’s blue bloods.