Chris Del Conte Doubles Down Amid Texas Football's Schedule Concerns

Texas Longhorns athletic director Chris Del Conte held his annual town hall meeting on Wednesday, speaking with Longhorns fans and supporters on the state of Texas Athletics.

Unsurprisingly, Texas football is often a major topic at these meetings, as football dominates collegiate athletics.

Among the topics on Longhorns football, one question was asked on what incentive Texas maintains in scheduling difficult, regular-season, non-conference games. Del Conte spoke on his support of these games, especially if the College Football Playoff format is expanded.

Del Conte Reaffirms his Support for Difficult Non-Conference Scheduling

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning runs with the ball against the Michigan Wolverines during the first half at Camping World Stadium. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

"Before we joined the SEC, I had made schedules of...Ohio State and Michigan. We had USC, we had LSU," Del Conte said, speaking at the town hall. "Cause I was trying to make sure that ... we're bringing the best teams we could into DKR."

Over the last two seasons, Texas has played in two difficult, non-conference matchups. In 2024, the team traveled to Ann Arbor to face Michigan, and, this past season, went to Columbus to face Ohio State.

Del Conte's comments echo what Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said in December when he confirmed that the Longhorns will honor their matchups with Ohio State and Michigan. Sarkisian and Del Conte certainly had conversations about it all behind the scenes and are now a united front on the matter.

"We're going to honor Ohio State and Michigan," Sarkisian said in December. "We went there, we went to Ann Arbor, 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 will honor that commitment for them to come play us here."

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on prior to a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The controversy over the decision to schedule tough non-conference games came when the Longhorns fell to the Buckeyes to start the season, and would eventually finish with a 9-3 record, when an easier opponent may have changed the outlook of their year.

On the cusp of its third straight playoff appearance, Texas was ultimately left out of the CFP. What would have happened, though, if Texas didn't play Ohio State to start the season and scheduled easier competition? The team would have had only two losses and likely a playoff spot.

What followed the Longhorns' 9-3 finish and a season without a playoff appearance were questions on why Texas should bother facing difficult out-of-conference competition at all. Despite the perceived disadvantages it may bring Texas later in the season, the Longhorns decided to continue their non-conference games against elite competition.

"I'm not about to give those games up, I want a little piece of their rear-end in DKR," Del Conte said on Ohio State and Michigan playing against Texas at home over the next two seasons. "I want our fans...to be able to watch Ohio State in [DKR], I want fans...to be able to watch Michigan along with our SEC slate."

In response to calls to cancel those upcoming games with Michigan and Ohio State, Del Conte responded simply with a no.

"We're gonna honor our word," Del Conte said. "That's what we do."

Though the team is maintaining its commitment to the Wolverines and the Buckeyes, Del Conte did not rule out possible future amendments to its non-conference scheduling.

"As far as our future schedules...we will sit down and look at what that looks like for getting into the postseason tournament," Del Conte said. "I will tell you that college football is built around your regular season. Do you guys really want nice, good games in DKR? We could play three cream puffs, and we could play an SEC schedule."

Del Conte, though, defended Texas's scheduling decisions, especially due to the possibility of an expanded playoff.

"If the playoff is going to expand, which I prefer the playoff expands, you want to then have great games," Del Conte said. "And value those great games as long as we have an opportunity to get into the postseason...I prefer to preserve the regular season by playing great games and not dumbing down your schedule."

Texas will play Ohio State in Week 2 of the 2026 season at home.