Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte is making the case the way plenty of administrators around the sport have been thinking it: if college football wants marquee non-conference games, the playoff can’t stay stingy.
With Texas getting ready for its season opener against Texas State and its future schedule already taking shape, Del Conte used an appearance on Steve Sarkisian’s radio show to talk openly about the tension between attractive matchups and the risk they create for a team’s postseason path.
“I want to play Ohio State. I want to play Michigan.
I want to play Notre Dame. But I don't want it to be a detriment to the program,” Del Conte said.
“What the nation wants is big games, but if the playoff does not expand, you don't want to be punished. The playoffs have to expand.”
Texas is one of the programs still willing to line up those kinds of games. The Longhorns are set to play Ohio State for the second straight season, and it was recently confirmed that Texas will also face Michigan on Sept. 4, 2027, in the back half of a home-and-home series.
That kind of scheduling gives the sport some of its best regular-season theater, but it also comes with real risk. Texas found that out last season. A win over Ohio State would have strengthened the Longhorns’ playoff case, but the loss, followed by two more conference defeats, left them out of the CFP.
The playoff has already changed once, jumping from four teams to 12 in 2024. Now the conversation is moving again, with many athletic directors pushing for a 24-team field. That number has emerged as the current baseline in discussions this fall.
More spots would obviously open the door for more teams to chase a national title, but it would also soften the edge that makes every Saturday feel so heavy. In college football, the regular season has always carried a different kind of pressure.
Lose two or three times and the season can be over. A bigger playoff gives teams more breathing room.
Del Conte’s point is easy to understand: schools want the shine that comes with playing heavyweight opponents, but they don’t want those games to become the reason they’re left out when the bracket is set.
Texas also has one non-conference game on the books in 2028, against Louisiana Tech, and what the Longhorns do beyond that will be worth watching if the playoff stays where it is.
In Other News...
Texas Has One Clear Edge But A Worry Fans Can't Ignore
Texas enters its matchup with Texas State with one of the more obvious advantages on the field, and it starts at receiver. Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V are back, and the addition of transfer Cam Coleman gives the Longhorns a group that can stretch a defense in different ways and make life easier on the rest of the offense. For a team still settling into the rhythm of a new season, that kind of target talent is a useful place to lean.
The part Texas fans cant quite ignore is the other side of the ball, where linebacker depth has become a real talking point. Defensive coordinator Will Muschamps return has brought a welcome lift to the scheme and the room, but depth questions have only sharpened after recent roster changes. That leaves Texas with a clear edge in one area and a lingering test in another, the sort of imbalance that can look manageable in September and much louder once the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Fans Need To See This Change To A Marquee Home Stretch
Texas footballs home schedule is getting a subtle but meaningful shuffle over the next two seasons, with Texas Athletics confirming that four Longhorns home games will be moved up by one week after the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee approved an earlier start to the college football season. The adjusted slate includes 2027 matchups with New Mexico State, Michigan and UTEP, along with the 2028 game against Louisiana Tech, all of which now sit a week earlier on the calendar than originally planned.
For fans, it is the kind of change that can quietly alter the feel of a fall in Austin, especially with marquee opponents like Michigan still anchoring the home schedule. Texas also has the edge of history against each of those programs, which only adds to the anticipation whenever those dates come into view. The bigger question now is how the new timing will shape the flow of those seasons and the atmosphere around a home stretch that already had plenty of appeal. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Opener Could Decide Which Longhorns Earn Real Roles
The Longhorns still have a few jobs up for grabs as they head into the season opener against Texas State, and the first game should give Steve Sarkisian and offensive line coach Kyle Flood a real look at who is ready for more than a spot duty role. Among the players in that mix are Sikorski, Cojoe and Bishop, all of whom are trying to turn preseason competition into something more concrete once the games count.
Texas is using the opener as an evaluation point, especially for players looking to carve out meaningful snaps as the season moves along. Black is another name in that conversation after making a switch and trying to force his way into a bigger defensive role, while the staff will be watching closely to see which of these battles start to settle and which ones remain open well beyond Week 1. [Read more 🡒]