The year of the Texas Longhorns hasn't been going quite as swimmingly as UT fans thought it would. Oh sure, they're getting their millions of dollars and their Longhorn Network, but the Big 12 they plan to play in is on life support, the LHN is still a long way from having any sort of long-term sustainability goals, and the Texas A&M Aggies could be on the verge of deserting their long-time rivals for other pastures, presumably the SEC.
So now, they have to go out and cause mischief for others.
Texas doesn't want to play Texas A&M anymore if they leave the conference (because they're sooooo mad at them). So according to Chip Brown of OrangeBloods.com, now they're interested in the biggest fish of them all--Notre Dame--to try and formulate a new game where both teams are equally despised by the rest of the country. Texas and Notre Dame have already agreed to a four game series starting in 2015, but I'd imagine this new pursuit would be to try and lock down a more permanent long-term fixture.
The problem? The game they'd want to play with Notre Dame would be Thanksgiving weekend. You know, when Notre Dame traditionally comes to Los Angeles to play USC. The USC Trojans don't particularly care for the Longhorns, but I can assure you that dislike will erupt into discord if Texas dare stomp on their sacred century-old rivalry with the Fighting Irish.
If Texas is committed to this game, the only potential possibility could be a compromise where USC faces Notre Dame on even years on Thanksgiving Day, and Texas faces Notre Dame in Austin on odd years on Thanksgiving Thursday. They would have to wait for Stanford's contract (the team that currently plays the Irish at home on Thanksgiving in odd years) to expire with Notre Dame before reaching that arrangement (which is apparently soon, like 2012 soon); thankfully, Stanford seems ready to suspend the series.
Also, would Notre Dame agree? It'd be hard to imagine the Irish wanting to play Michigan, USC AND Texas all in one year. It's a cute rumor so far, but the Irish would probably have to do some shuffling before they'd want to commit themselves to a long series.
For more college football coverage, go to One Foot Down (Notre Dame), Burnt Orange Nation (Texas) and Conquest Chronicles (USC).