.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Texas and Notre Dame will start playing each other in a four-game series starting in 2015 in what should make for some extremely interesting storylines and compelling games, even if the Irish aren't BCS good by then.
With that showdown now set up, what other non-conference matchups would make life more interesting?
It’s not like the Irish and Longhorns haven’t played before. Texas lost at home to the Irish in a 27-24 thriller in 1996 and the two have faced each other ten times, with the first matchup a 30-7 Notre Dame win in 1913.
Here are the five compelling non-conference matchup ideas that could happen this year if we lived in a world where life was fair and just, along with the realistic reason why these series could come together in the near future.
5. Boise State vs. Alabama, Sept. 18
This could happen if Alabama ditches the layup at Duke and Boise State buys its way out of the road trip to Wyoming.
The big question going into the season is whether or not Boise State should be in the national title hunt despite playing a light and breezy WAC schedule, while another huge question mark is Alabama as the No. 1-ranked team despite losing just about everyone of note on defense. The two programs have a combined record of 52-3 over the last two years, and while it would be great if the two could play in the non-conference schedule, they might end up seeing each other in Glendale on Jan. 10.
Realistically ... The two programs have never faced each other. With Boise State joining the Mountain West, a series with the SEC superpower would carry plenty of weight on a national scale (even though the first attempt, a 2005 game at Georgia, was a 48-13 disaster). The Mountain West would love to have a shot at a big boy from the biggest conference, while Alabama hasn't been afraid to take on at least one nasty non-conference matchup every year facing Penn State this year, Virginia Tech last year, and Clemson in 2008.
4. Michigan vs. West Virginia, Oct. 23
This could happen if Michigan bails on the Sept. 18 game against UMass and West Virginia moves its game against Syracuse from Oct. 23 to Oct. 2. Forget about Penn State vs. Alabama or USC vs. Notre Dame. The Rich Rodriguez Bowl would have the deepest and most interesting storylines of any non-conference game, and the on-field battle would be great, too. The only question would be which fan base would boo the Michigan head man the loudest.
Realistically ... West Virginia has a score to settle and needs this series to exorcise the demons of a 130-0 nailbiter against Michigan in 1904. That was the only time the two programs played, but a creation of home-and-home series would make for a good Big East-Big Ten showdown while also making a little bit of geographic sense. It wouldn’t exactly be a backyard brawl, but the two schools are a drivable 350 miles apart.
3. Auburn vs. Notre Dame, Nov. 6
Notre Dame has an off week while Auburn can blow off the contract with Chattanooga. It might not be the most compelling non-conference matchup this year, but for those in love with college football’s historical side, Auburn is by far the biggest BCS-caliber program Notre Dame has never faced. You name the superpower and at some point it crossed paths with the Irish in a game or series of national and/or historical significance.
Realistically … It’s hard for Notre Dame to come up with contracts with so many dates booked years in advance, but taking on Auburn would be an intriguing step considering there isn’t an SEC team on the slate for the foreseeable future. The last SEC team the Irish faced was LSU in the 2007 Sugar Bowl (a 41-14 loss) and the last non-conference game was against Tennessee in 2005 (a 41-21 Notre Dame win). The Irish haven’t faced an SEC team other than Tennessee in the regular season since beating LSU 39-36 in 1998.
2. Texas vs. Florida, Nov. 25
Life will continue if Texas doesn’t face Florida Atlantic and Florida doesn’t have to deal with Appalachian State. Fine, so the Longhorns would never, ever agree to a game like this five days before Texas A&M, but we’re in a dream world here.
This should have been the 2009 BCS Championship game, and it came close to being the matchup for the national title last year. It would be a fascinating showdown of two rebuilding superpowers who are still good enough to be ranked (most likely) in everyone’s preseason top five. This is a potential national championship matchup with NFL athletes galore to go along with the slew of superstar prospects from the 2010 recruiting class to gush over. If nothing else, it would be a Big Shoes To Fill bowl with Florida QB John Brantley squaring off against Texas QB Garrett Gilbert in a matchup of two good pro prospects looking to do the impossible by trying to replace legends.
Realistically … It seems like these two would have faced each other at some point over the last few years, considering their respective conference tie-ins to the Cotton Bowl and with all the BCS appearances. But the last time the two played was 1940, with Texas coming up with a 26-0 win. In the three all-time meetings, Texas is 2-0-1 by a combined score of 45-7. However, outside of the yearly Florida State game, Florida doesn’t exactly extend itself in non-conference action and wouldn’t be jumping at the idea of travelling to Austin for any sort of a home-and-home series. The last non-conference, non-bowl road trip Florida has taken outside of the Sunshine State was to Syracuse in 1991. The Gators lost 38-21.
1. Nebraska vs. Iowa and/or Wisconsin
This could work on either Sept. 4, with Nebraska buying its way out of Western Kentucky and Iowa blowing off Eastern Illinois, or Sept. 25, with Nebraska avoiding South Dakota State and Wisconsin getting a reprieve from Austin Peay.
Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin are three teams that’ll hover around the top five all season long and have legitimate national title aspirations. While each team has holes and flaws, they also have a ton of talent returning to go along with schedules conducive to playing for the national title. The question for a Nebraska-Iowa showdown would be who would go on the road. Iowa gets all its big games (Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State) at home, while the two biggest games on the Husker slate (Missouri and Texas) are in Lincoln. Wisconsin vs. Nebraska would be a battle of power and toughness, while a Hawkeye-Husker showdown might be a fight to see who’d score first.
Realistically … Thank you, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany. The conference might not have gotten Texas, it still might be fighting for Notre Dame, and it hasn’t expanded to the East Coast like it says it wants to, but adding Nebraska for next year will create some really, really good matchups. Nebraska and Iowa are practically the same state, and it’s a crime the Hawkeyes and Huskers haven’t played since 2000 and have played just six times since the 1940s. Wisconsin legendary head coach and athletic director, Barry Alvarez, went to Nebraska, but the Badgers and Huskers haven’t played each other since 1974 (a 21-20 UW win) and have faced each other just five times. Enjoy 2011 and the new Big Ten West.
