Texas’ planned 2027 trip to Michigan is suddenly in limbo.
The Longhorns and Wolverines opened their home-and-home in 2024, when Texas went into Ann Arbor and handled Michigan, 31-12, at a packed Big House. The second game in the series was supposed to come in Austin in 2027, but that date now appears to be in conflict with another Michigan non-conference matchup.
Per reports from FBSSchedules.com, Michigan has added Eastern Michigan for Sept. 11, 2027. That is the same day Texas and Michigan were scheduled to meet, according to the University of Texas football official website.
That leaves Texas with a scheduling puzzle. The Longhorns could try to reshuffle their other non-conference games that year - New Mexico State on Sept. 4 and UTEP on Sept. 18 - to make room for Michigan. But that would mean asking both programs to move as well, and likely paying a hefty fee to get it done.
Texas could also decide the easiest path is to walk away from the series altogether. Another possibility sits a little further down the road: if the Longhorns and Notre Dame end up canceling their home-and-home in 2028 and 2029, that could free up a lane for Texas and Michigan to meet in 2028 instead, four years after the series began.
Michigan’s 2027 non-conference slate is currently light beyond Texas, with Central Michigan on Sept. 2 and Charlotte on Sept. 9 already on the schedule.
At the end of last season, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said the Longhorns would keep their games with Ohio State and Michigan in 2026 and 2027, respectively, after the first halves of those series were played on the road. He drew a line there, though, and left Notre Dame open to discussion.
"I think anything beyond (Ohio State and Michigan) is up for discussion," Sarkisian said last season. "(Chris Del Conte) and I have already had that discussion, we need to take a good, hard look at what our non-conference schedule looks like beyond the next two years."
If the series does survive and the teams play the back half of the home-and-home, Michigan would be staring at an ugly bit of history: the Wolverines could fall to 0-4 all-time against Texas.
Texas won the first meeting at the 2005 Rose Bowl, when Vince Young’s four rushing touchdowns powered a 38-37 victory. More than a year later, Young’s performance became a preview of what he would do in that same stadium.
The teams met again nearly 20 years later, with Texas beating Michigan 31-12 in Ann Arbor.
Then came last season’s Citrus Bowl matchup, where Arch Manning put together his own Vince Young-style finish and helped Texas beat Michigan 41-27. Manning sealed it with a 60-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.
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