Texas AD on Notre Dame series: 'They're tentatively on the schedule right now'

Notre Dame football is scheduled to face Texas in 2028 and 2029. That series is still on… for now.

That’s according to Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte, who was asked about the Longhorns’ home-and-home with the Irish on Wednesday afternoon at the SEC’s annual meetings in Destin, Fla. For Notre Dame fans who hope Texas remains on the schedule, Del Conte’s response was not exactly reassuring.

“They’re tentatively on the schedule right now,” Del Conte said, according to multiple On3 reporters in attendance.

The series, which was scheduled in November 2024, would bring the Longhorns to South Bend on Sept. 9, 2028. A return trip is scheduled for Sept. 22, 2029, when the Longhorns would visit Austin, Texas. Notre Dame is 9-3 all-time against Texas, most recently falling 50-47 in double-overtime in 2016.

In addition to Texas, the Irish have the following schools scheduled for home-and-homes in the next decade: BYU, Michigan State, Auburn, Alabama, Florida, Michigan and newly-minted powerhouse Indiana. Notre Dame also booked a 12-year series with Clemson that begins in 2027, in addition to its agreement with the Atlantic Coast Conference that requires it to face an average of five ACC schools each year until 2037.

The Irish also have three games remaining in its six-game agreement with Purdue, as well as Arkansas’ return trip to South Bend, currently on the books.

More: Notre Dame football future schedules: Updated dates, opponents through 2038

Texas’ hesitancy to confirm its series with Notre Dame will actually be played is no surprise. The Longhorns have constantly raised doubts about scheduling difficult non-conference games ever since they finished 13th in the final College Football Playoff rankings at 9-3.

Led by head coach Steve Sarkesian, Texas has railed against the CFP’s selection process all offseason, believing it was not rewarded for scheduling a difficult non-conference game against Ohio State. The Longhorns did lose 14-7 to the Buckeyes in Week 1, but they also lost 29-21 to a Florida team that eventually finished 4-8. A 35-10 loss to Florida in November nixed their CFP chances for good.

Del Conte reiterated that Texas wants to keep its marquee non-conference games on the schedule, but only if they don’t hurt its chances to make the playoff.

“I firmly believe college football loves the big games,” Del Conte said. “Our kids want to play those big games, but they also want to be rewarded for playing those big games.”

Notre Dame, on the other hand, needs to face teams like Texas to compensate for a weak ACC diluting its strength of schedule. While the Irish have publicly expressed confidence that its marquee home-and-homes will be played, the projected opponents haven’t been so sure.

How much would it cost for Texas to cancel its series with Notre Dame?

According to Inside Texas’ Joe Cook, Texas would owe Notre Dame $500,000 if the Irish receive a notice of cancellation two or more years before the game’s scheduled date. That deadline would be Sept. 9.

A cancellation between Sept. 9, 2026 and Sept. 9, 2027 would cost $1 million. Anything after that would cost $1.5 million.