Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Texas Longhorns Finalizing Football Series

All reports are indicating that the universities of Notre Dame and Texas are finalizing the details of a four-game, home-and-home football series beginning in 2015.

The South Bend Tribune's Eric Hansen reports that the games would be scheduled for 2015, '16, '19, and '20.  Hansen also cites a report in the Austin American Statesman that says Texas cancelled a home-and-home series with Minnesota, scheduled for 2015 and 2016.

Texas and Notre Dame, two of the hardest-recruited schools by the Big Ten, have both indicated they want to upgrade their football schedules.

During the recent Big 12 Media Days, Texas coach Mack Brown said, "We're looking right now at getting more high-profile matchups on future schedules."

Hansen said, "It's a clear signal that Notre Dame's AD Jack Swarbrick is serious about pushing away from the 7-4-1 schedule straight jacket."  A 6-5-1 schedule would allow the Irish to entertain home-and-home series with more high-level football schools.

On Wednesday the Chicago Tribune was the first to reveal that these two schools were talking and said they were "very close" to a deal, but since then all reports have indicated that they are more than close.

Texas and Notre Dame have met 10 times, three times in the Cotton Bowl.  The Irish have won eight of these games.

Just last week, Bleacher Report's Eric Murtaugh wrote about Notre Dame's 2012 schedule and pointed to its difficulty.  It seems clear that Notre Dame isn't kidding when they say they want tougher competition on a yearly basis.

The 2012 schedule includes national powers Miami and Oklahoma along with regularly scheduled USC, Michigan, and Pitt.

Nothing would bring Notre Dame more national attention than playing the country's toughest teams and beating them.

One would think that head coach Brian Kelly would, along with AD Swarbrick, favor a more challenging schedule.

The Cincinnati Bearcats, Kelly's former team, played tough non-conference schedules in addition to their Big East schedule during Kelly's tenure.