One of the first rules of fandom is that next year is the year. Who cares who your team lost, the guys next up are even better. Every other team either wanted that transfer portal pickup you got or were sleeping on him because they aren't as clever.
And those games 2023 gave us? Sure, they were fun. But have you checked out next year's slate? Here are the matchups we'll build up all offseason to fill the void football left.
1. Texas A&M Aggies vs. Texas Longhorns (November 30)
The wait for this Lone Star reunion started when Texas kicker Justin Tucker hit the game-winning field goal in 2011, and it will finally cease after 13 long years this fall. Conference realignment destroyed plenty of regional rivalries. Texas vs. Texas A&M was the rare game that was revived. Almost every face in both programs are new since the last time these two faced off. But the vitriol between the establisments remains. The good news for whichever program comes out on the short end? They won’t have to wait a decade-plus to win back bragging rights.
2. Texas Longhorns vs. Oklahoma Sooners (October 12)
New conference, same game. Or, at least, that’s what college football fans should hope for from the Red River Rivalry, which has delivered a one-score thriller in nine of the last 10 Big 12 regular season affairs. It’s not that these two teams just don’t like each other. It’s that these two teams lose their minds in the Cotton Bowl - delivering blocked punts, overtimes and last-second touchdowns. There’s a reason Texas and Oklahoma were always a package deal when it came to conference realignment. This year's Golden Hat will go to the program that not only won the game, but the ramp-up process to the SEC.
3. Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame (August 31)
How's this marquee matchup for a head coaching debut? Mike Elko has the opportunity for a statement win over Notre Dame to announce his version of Texas A&M's arrival onto the college football landscape. Kyle Field's going to be rocking with the anticipation of a new season and a new regime. The Fighting Irish will test Elko's defensive acumen. Duke transfer Riley Leonard was a trendy first round Draft pick before injuries derailed his 2023 season. He'll have a bevy of running backs at his disposal, including Denison alum Jadarian Price, hungry to replace 1,300-yard rusher Audric Estime.
4. Texas Longhorns at Michigan Wolverins (September 7)
What better game to prepare Texas for its first ever SEC conference slate than a trip to the Big House to face the defending national champions? In terms of early tests, it’s like taking the SAT in eighth grade. Most of the excitment for this matchup this early in the offseason is based on the historic brands, however. Michigan might be an entirely different team than the 2023 champions if Jim Harbaugh rides off into the NFL sunset and away from NCAA investigation. Most of the the offensive line is gone, as are quarterback JJ McCarthy and running back Blake Corum (most likely). This meeting will indicate whether each program is set to repeat 2023 success or rebuild in 2024.
5. Texas Longhorns vs. Georgia Bulldogs (October 19)
Texas, you wanted to play ball in the SEC. Here's what that entails - a date with college football's most dominant program over the past three seasons (42–2 record) immediately following your biggest rivalry game, Oklahoma. At least most players from the Bulldogs' bludgeoning 63-3 win over Florida State are off the the NFL, right? Georgia is loaded with returning talent, headlined by quarterback Carson Beck and second team All-SEC defensive linemen Nazir Stackhouse and Mykel Williams. Texas, on the other hand, has lost its three leading receivers, top rusher and two standout interior defensive lineman.
6. TCU vs. Texas Tech (TBD)
There's a Big 12 power vacuum after Texas and Oklahoma's departure. Texas Tech and TCU’s matchup will illustrate which team is more prepared to carry the state in a new-look conference. Texas Tech fell short of bloated expectations in 2023, but the future in Lubbock is still bright after the Red Raiders closed the year on a 3–1 run and won the Independence Bowl against Cal. Running back Tahj Brooks and high-upside quarterback Behren Morton return. TCU underwent a rebuild, but the Horned Frogs have the No.6-ranked transfer portal haul thus far and brought in former Boise State head coach Andy Avalos to run the defense.
7. Texas A&M Aggies vs. LSU Tigers (October 26)
This game will slide up or down the rankings depending on how Texas A&M looks under Elko by mid-season. Even after losing Heisman quarterback Jayden Daniels and firing their entire defensive staff, I will not bet against Brian Kelly to build LSU back into an SEC contender (this statement could age very poorly). Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has been groomed for two seasons under Daniels and is set to take the reins. Kelly's hired Missouri defensive coordinator Blake Baker and Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis to resuscitate the defense.
8. SMU vs. TCU (September 21)
TCU manhandled SMU in last year’s Iron Skillet, and then both programs embarked on opposite trajectories. TCU went 2–6 the rest of the year and missed a bowl game one season removed from reaching the national championship, the first program to do so since 2010 Texas. SMU went on a 9–2 run and won their first conference championship since 1984. Now, the question for SMU ahead of their first year in the Power Five… are they for real? The Mustangs had a fantastic season, but they averaged 14 points a game in three chances against P5 competition, going 0–3. This early-season matchup with TCU could be a barometer for how the ACC slate will shape up.
9. Texas State vs UTSA (September 7)
Texas State head coach GJ Kinne said the sleeping giant in San Marcos was awake after the program’s first bowl win. Is it ready to establish a new era in the on-again off-again rivalry with UTSA? The Bobcats believe they have their coach of the future in Kinne, inking him to a contract that pays $1million a year through 2028. His mentor is across the sideline in Jeff Traylor, facing his first season as a collegiate coach without record-setting quarterback Frank Harris. The state of Texas lost a lot of marquee intrastate games in the latest round of conference realignment. Could UTSA and Texas State morph into a recurring one?
10. Texas A&M vs. Missouri (October 5)
Missouri will be Texas A&M's second massive test of the season after the opener against Notre Dame. Cornerback wasn't a strong suit for Texas A&M's 2023 squad, and the position weakened with Deuce Harmon and Tyreek Chappell opting to transfer. The Aggies will need to settle on replacements by the time they face quarterback Brady Cook and stud wide receiver Luther Burden III. New offensive coordinator Collin Klein will have to take advantage of a young Missouri defense in order for the Aggies to win. By this point in the season, that unit should be hitting its stride with presumed starter Conner Weigman at the helm.
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