The Texas Longhorns Bid Goodbye To Colorado & Nebraska, Say Hello To Bet

With the departure of Nebraska in 2011 the Big XII conference will be down to 11 teams. As of now Colorado is planning on leaving the Big XII as well in 2011, but reports are now saying that Colorado is trying to lessen the financial penalty the conference will impose on the Buffalos'  if they stick around for the 2011 season.

Whenever Colorado decides to leave the conference either in 2011 or 12, Texas had to fill a void of two games. And did they ever fill that void during the summer.

So Longhorn fans, Mack Brown and the Athletic Department did you all, or as I should say in my Austin voice "Mack Brown and Texas did y'all a favor" in bringing new and better destinations for UT road games.

So no more trips up to Lincoln Nebraska, where the team is top notch and they have some of the nicest fans you will ever meet, but there is nothing to do. And no more trips up to snowy and cold Boulder Colorado.

And after today's announcement of the Texas-USC games starting in 2017; it just seems that the non-conference opponents for the Longhorns just keeps getting better and better.

So click on through Longhorn fans and take a trip to see either where you should start planning your next road trip for the next 10 years. As here are five teams that will make you forget about going to see Texas play Colorado or Nebraska.

2011 Season: Texas @ UCLA

Matt Kincaid/Getty Images

PASADENA, CA - OCTOBER 30: A UCLA Bruins cheerleader performs as the football team faces the Stanford Cardinal at the Rose Bowl on October 30, 2004 in Pasadena, California. UCLA defeated Stanford 21-0. (Photo by Matt Kincaid/Getty Images)

This year the UCLA Bruins come to Austin to play a home-at-home series that ends next year. Next year Longhorn fans can skip that trip to Colorado that they may have been planning  and can now book that flight to Hollywood to watch their Longhorns.

And really would you want to watch Texas in a temperature in 40 or below, or sunny LA where kickoff temperatures will range between 70-50degrees.

And who knows, the Bruins may have a great team this year and next. If their offense can play as good as their defense they could be a surprise team in the Pac 10 this year.

UCLA vs. Colorado in fan base- advantage UCLA

UCLA vs. Colorado in talent level- advantage UCLA

UCLA vs. Nebraska in fan base- advantage Nebraska

UCLA vs. Nebraska in talent level- advantage Nebraska

2013 Season: Texas @ BYU

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 8: A BYU Cougars cheerleader holds up a sign in front of the BYU section during the game with the UCLA Bruins on September 8, 2007 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. UCLA won 27-17. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

In 2011 and 2014 BYU makes their next trips to Austin. It is quite possible that they could put this game in Jerry Jones's stadium in Dallas for any one of these three games. And these fans of BYU can travel. Take a look at the number of fans that came out to see them play Oklahoma to start the season last year. 75,457 people packed the Dallas Cowboys new stadium. Sure some if not more than half of those fans were Oklahoma fans.

But.

Compare that to the numbers so far for the TCU vs. Oregon State game where to date (Aug 26) roughly only 40,000some tickets have been sold.

BYU also has their own television channel as well, something that Colorado or Nebraska does not.

BYU vs. Colorado in fan base- BYU

BYU vs. Colorado in talent- Advantage BYU

BYU vs. Nebraska in fan base- Push

BYU vs. Nebraska in talent- Advantage Nebraska

2012 Season: Texas @ Ole Miss

Dave Martin/Getty Images

OXFORD, MS - OCTOBER 10: A Mississippi Rebel cheerleader watches during their game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on October 10, 2009 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Dave Martin/Getty Images)

This match up against Ole Miss is another home-at-home series that ends with the Rebels coming to Austin in 2014.

But why is going to Oxford, Mississippi better than heading to Boulder, or Lincoln? Hell, where the hell is Oxford, Mississippi?

Well, for starters it is because SEC is the best football conference and the SEC fans know how to tail gate. Why else would one of their biggest games be called the "Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party"?

Losing Nebraska will hurt Texas in the polls in the long run. A win over the Cornhuskers helps Texas in their strength of schedule.

However, Houston Nut has this Ole Miss team contending in the SEC West division. By 2013 Ole Miss team could be a team that is in contention for an SEC title.

Ole Miss vs. Colorado in fan base- Advantage Ole Miss

Ole Miss vs. Colorado in talent- Advantage Ole Miss

Ole Miss vs. Nebraska in fan base- Advantage Nebraska

Ole Miss vs. Nebraska in talent- Push

2015, 2019, & 2020 Season: Texas @ Notre Dame

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 30: The Leprechaun, masscot for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish charges onto the field with the ND cheerleaders against the Purdue Boilermakers September 30, 2006 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame won 35-21

This was the game that when announced people in Austin and Texas fans across the country stopped and went, "oh hell yeah when can I get tickets!"

Starting in 2015 Texas renews their rivalry with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The Irish come to Austin in the 2016 year. Then it is back to South Bend in 2019 and 2020.

Plus Texas vs. Nebraska, pending on their records, is a nationally televised game. Texas vs. Colorado is just a regionally televised game. But, Texas vs. Notre Dame is a game that is shown on every television set that wants to turn it on.

And yes, Notre Dame has not been the best of teams in the past few years. However, by 2015, after five years of Brian Kelly recruiting the type of players that helped make Cincinnati back to back Big East Champions. By 2015, Brian Kelly should have this team back in the top-25 if not in the top-10.

But this is Notre Dame, this is Touchdown Jesus, this is Knute Rockne's famous speech, this is the four horsemen, this is college football history when you go to South Bend, Indiana to play Notre Dame.

Notre Dame vs. Colorado in fan base- Advantage Notre Dame

Notre Dame vs. Colorado in talent- Advantage Notre Dame 

Notre Dame vs. Nebraska in fan base- Advantage Notre Dame

Notre Dame vs. Nebraska in talent- Advantage Nebraska

2017 Season- Texas @ USC

Harry How/Getty Images

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: The USC Trojans cheerleaders stand on the field as the B1 Bomber plane flies overhead prior to the 95th Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi against the Penn State Nittany Lions on January 1, 2009 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Cali

This was just announced today and was the tip of the iceberg of the announced non-conference opponents.

Starting in 2017 Texas starts this home-at-home series with USC that sees the Longhorns meet in a rematch of the 2005 BCS National Title game. The following year, in 2018, USC comes to Austin.

Every year the Trojans of USC are up there with the elite programs of the NCAA. Plus a trip to Southern California and Hollywood should make the Longhorn faithful happy.

Heck, they should even play this game in the Rose Bowl.

USC vs. Colorado in fan base- Advantage USC

USC vs. Colorado in talent- Advantage USC

USC vs. Nebraska in fan base- Advantage USC

USC vs. Nebraska in talent- Advantage USC

So there you have it Longhorn fans. There are your next five great road trips to take in the next 10 years. Yes, there are other non-conference games that I left out, such as: @California, UTEP, and Maryland. However, these games that I have listed are the ones that not only fans and alumni will want to travel to, but the general public will want to see. 

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