Texas soccer: Are big-time nonconference video games the norm for Horns? – Austin American-Statesman

Longhorns Soccer
For many who benefit from the artwork of alliteration, there are many methods to explain Saturday's scintillating season-opening showdown at Ohio Stadium between Texas football and Ohio State. 
Marquee matchup.
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NO. 1 TEXAS AT NO. 3 OHIO STATE
When/the place: 11 a.m. Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
TV/radio: Fox; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM, 105.3 FM (Spanish)
Gargantuan gridiron recreation.
Colossal conflict in Columbus.
Massive battle between blue bloods.
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TEXAS FOOTBALL: How Arch Manning is preparing for Ohio State Buckeyes' home crowd
Name it no matter you need. This season-opening soccer fracas on Fox encompasses a Texas group that tops the Related Press' ballot and Ohio State, which is third. The sport comes a number of months after Ohio State's highway to a nationwide championship featured a 28-14 win over Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
"I don't assume it will probably (get right here quickly sufficient). I don't assume it will probably," UT operating again Quintrevion Wisner stated this week. "We’re positively prepared, although. Massive recreation arising, huge second. We're ready."
Ohio State Buckeyes security Sonny Types (6) tackles Texas Longhorns large receiver Ryan Wingo (5) through the second half of the Cotton Bowl Basic Faculty Soccer Playoff semifinal recreation at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. Ohio State received 28-14.
Ohio State and Texas respectively rank second and fifth on faculty soccer's all-time wins chart. Simply two of UT's 961 wins have come on the Buckeyes' expense. Ohio State has additionally crushed Texas twice.
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However regardless of not assembly one another that always, Texas and Ohio State have created loads of reminiscences collectively. Vince Younger's 24-yard touchdown pass to Limas Sweed at Ohio Stadium received UT's 2005 championship run began, and Ohio State bested Texas in Austin a 12 months later in a showdown between the top-two groups within the AP ballot. Quan Cosby's dive into the top zone on the 2009 Fiesta Bowl stays a spotlight at Texas whereas Jack Sawyer's sack, strip and rating to seal final season's Cotton Bowl received't be forgotten anytime quickly in Columbus.
TEXAS FOOTBALL: Longhorns focused on results, not No. 1 hype
After besting Texas on the Cotton Bowl, Ohio State superior to and received the nationwide championship. Seven months later, Ohio State turns into the ninth defending champion in a 50-year span to play Texas the next season (a tenth defending champion, LSU, had its dwelling recreation in opposition to Texas in 2020 canceled due to the pandemic).
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None of these defending champs, nonetheless, had been the primary group listed on UT's schedule. Texas performed Michigan final 12 months through the second week of the season, however Oklahoma and Nebraska had been convention foes in 1976, 1986, 1996, 1998 and 2001. USC and Miami's 1990 and 2005 championship follow-ups featured postseason video games in opposition to Texas.
Ohio State can be simply the third top-five group that Texas has confronted in a season opener previously 50 years. Texas beat No. 5 Auburn in 1983, however was crushed by the fifth-ranked Tigers to open the 1987 season.
Heading right into a recreation of this magnitude, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian admitted that he would have appreciated to "get some footing beneath you with some new gamers, some guys that perhaps haven't performed with you, even when they're transfers." Sarkisian, although, pointed out that Ohio State is in the same boat. The Buckeyes are simply the sixth group since 2000 to open up their championship protection in opposition to a ranked opponent.
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"I believe on the finish of the day, if it's each of our first recreation, you’re feeling OK. The place I'd be actually uncomfortable if this was our first recreation, and so they had already gotten the sport underneath their belt," Sarkisian stated. "So it simply is what it’s. You attempt to put together your group as finest you possibly can. You attempt to decrease the self-inflicted wounds, and so you possibly can play as clear a soccer as attainable come Saturday at midday."
In line with UT, that is the twentieth time that the NCAA's defending champion has confronted the No. 1 group within the AP ballot. The Longhorns had been concerned in two of the earlier 19 showdowns. Texas was the reigning champion when it was crushed in Austin by top-ranked Ohio State in 2006 and No. 1 Alabama on the 1965 Orange Bowl.
Final week, the SEC introduced that its soccer groups will every begin playing nine conference games in 2026. For UT's first two seasons within the league, the SEC scheduled eight league video games. This implies SEC groups will solely schedule three nonconference video games sooner or later and league guidelines mandate that a type of contests should be in opposition to Notre Dame or a group from the ACC, Massive 12 or Massive Ten.
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Texas already has future video games in opposition to Ohio State (2026), Michigan (2027) and Arizona State (2032, 2033) on the books. Late final 12 months, Texas and Notre Dame introduced that they'll meet in nonconference in 2028 and 2029.
MORE: Texas vs. Ohio State game on Fox will stay on YouTube TV — for now
Texas hasn't hidden its want to schedule video games that entice the highlight.
In recent times, Texas has accomplished home-and-home nonconference collection with Alabama, Cal, Notre Dame and USC, and the Longhorns hosted LSU and traveled to Michigan and performed Maryland inside an NFL stadium. Don't count on the Longhorns to alter that scheduling philosophy. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, who was a longtime proponent of the SEC increasing to 9 convention video games since UT performs Oklahoma on a impartial website yearly, told reporters this week the Longhorns have an "obligation" to play different big-name opponents.
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"The model of Texas, we owe it to varsity soccer to play the sort of recreation," Del Conte stated. "We’ve got Michigan, we now have Ohio State, we simply scheduled Notre Dame. We had USC, we had LSU once we had a nine-game (convention) schedule within the Massive 12. I believe with the discussions going across the CFP whether or not growth or not, the common season issues. Are we speaking in regards to the NFL opening video games proper now? No, they're speaking about Texas taking part in Ohio State, they're speaking about Alabama taking part in Florida State, Clemson taking part in LSU. These video games actually set the tone for faculty. We're not shying away from it. We need to protect faculty soccer within the nationwide panorama. 
"Us not taking part in A&M for a very long time harm faculty soccer. Nebraska not taking part in Oklahoma is senseless to me. We've received to have these video games, they're essential. Us taking part in Ohio State, everybody's speaking about it. I'm fired up for the sport."
Relating to scheduling, Sarkisian does have a say in the matter. The soccer coach, nonetheless, stated this week that he leaves many of the work to Del Conte and his group.
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However life within the SEC is hard sufficient as it’s. Wouldn't the Longhorns be higher served taking part in their nonconference video games in opposition to groups that aren't anticipated to contend for nationwide championships? On Monday, Sarkisian didn't assume so. Within the coach's thoughts, he stated, he didn't consider {that a} loss in one among these video games would hurt a group's possibilities at qualifying for the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
"I take into consideration the CFP, and as we proceed to evolve from two groups to 4 groups to 12 groups and God is aware of the place we're going to go subsequent, my thought is sort of that you simply get rewarded for taking part in these video games," Sarkisian stated. "The objective is to be rewarded for taking part in these video games. Clearly, you possibly can reward your self by successful. That's useful, however I simply don't assume both us, or Ohio State for that matter, goes to get punished for taking part in on this recreation from a CFP standpoint."
A College of Montana graduate, Danny has spent the previous 18 years with the American-Statesman sports activities division and he at present covers the College of Texas soccer group and athletic division. He’s a faithful husband, father and Colorado Rockies fan. 
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