Longhorns already thinking about opener vs. Notre Dame

Longhorns already thinking about opener vs. Notre Dame

Published Jul. 21, 2015 5:01 p.m. ET

DALLAS -- No one is questioning the strength of schedule for Texas this season.

In addition to their Big 12 slate, Texas has non-conference games against California and Rice. And then there's the little season opener Sept. 5 in South Bend at Notre Dame.

While the matchup of traditional powers is a big deal nationally, it's also given the Longhorns something to focus on during the spring and summer.

"When you have an opponent like Notre Dame and it's right there at the beginning of the season and through the winter conditioning, through the offseason, it's something that you've been working to," Texas head coach Charlie Strong said Tuesday at the Big 12 media days. "So now it's something that's sitting there where they understand just the whole - just the magnitude of that game, and they return a lot of starters.  It's going to be an unbelievable game for us.  Very challenging game.  But we need to go out and we need to go play well, and they understand what's really good is Notre Dame."

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Texas, which is coming off a 6-7 season in Strong's first year in Austin, hasn't played Notre Dame since 1996. The Fighting Irish won that game 27-24 in Austin and lead the all-time series 8-2. The last Texas win over Notre Dame came in 1969. 

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