Steve Sarkisian’s Texas took a hard blow after missing out on the playoffs last year. One of the major reasons behind that snub was their tough non-conference loss. But despite that, the Longhorns’ AD isn’t letting them ease up on the schedule.

“I want our fans, Longhorn Nation, to be able to watch Ohio State in this stadium,” Texas AD Chris Del Conte said during Wednesday night’s town hall with fans. “I want fans in Longhorn Nation to be able to watch Michigan along with our SEC slate. But I had a lot of people say, ‘We need to cancel those games.’ No, we’re going to honor our word.”

For Conte, the vision is clear: to give fans their money’s worth by bringing elite teams to DKR Stadium. Now, before joining the SEC, Texas pushed for a 9-game conference schedule to make things fair, with four home games, four road games, and one neutral-site game. As part of the deal to join the SEC early, Texas played several key non-conference road games. Now, the university is ensuring it gets the promised return matchups at DKR instead of canceling them.

“I want a little piece of their rear end in DKR,” Conte said. “So Ohio State comes in, and Michigan comes in. So that’s the reason for where we were at.”

However, that can be a risky gamble for Texas. With a nine-game schedule starting off in 2026, Texas has to play more SEC opponents like LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Georgia more often. Another major rule is that they must play another high-level non-conference team from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, or Notre Dame. Playing Ohio State and Michigan does meet the criteria, but it raises concerns.

The Texas Longhorns paid a massive price for losing against Ohio State last season, as that loss kept them out of the playoffs, and they finished the season with a 9-3 record. Following their victory over Texas A&M, Steve Sarkisian expressed serious concerns about how their non-conference opponents are influencing their playoff prospects.

He even demanded that Ohio State and Michigan be removed from the schedule if those tough losses don’t mean anything for the playoff committee. Despite those concerns, Texas will host Ohio State in 2026 and Michigan in 2027, competing in a home-and-home series after road trips to Columbus and Ann Arbor in recent seasons. Sarkisian himself put any speculation to rest in December, affirming the program’s commitment to the home-and-home series.

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“We’re going to honor Ohio State and Michigan,” Sarkisian said. “We went there, we went to Ann Arbor, and we went to Columbus. We’re going to honor those return trips. So for the next two years, we know what our non-conference schedule is going to look like, and that’s the right thing to do. We made the commitment to play them, and we will honor that commitment for them to come play us here.”

While the Longhorns are committed to facing a gauntlet of non-conference foes, they’re also retooling their preparation, starting with the revival of a key offseason tradition.

Steve Sarkisian announces return of spring game

Steve Sarkisian’s Texas is bringing back old traditions to Austin in 2026. AD Chris Del Conte announced on Wednesday that Texas will once again host its annual spring game on April 18 after a one-year pause.

After tampering fears increased in college football, many teams like Nebraska and USC canceled their annual spring games, but now Texas is starting fresh. On top of that, last year was a transitional period for Sarkisian, as they needed time with all the new faces.

“We’re not having a spring game because I’ve got 27 new faces on my roster that I need to take time to develop,” Sarkisian said. “That development starts at the beginning of spring ball, where we’ve got to really build a foundation of understanding the whys of what we do, from how we practice to the drills that we do to the foundational aspects of the offense, the defense, and the special teams.”

With the spring game back on the calendar and marquee matchups locked in, Texas is sending a clear message: they won’t shy away from the competition, but preparing for it has become more critical than ever.