While the rumors connecting Nick Saban to the head coaching job at Texas never materialized, the Alabama icon will still end up roaming the sidelines in Austin. Possibly.
Following up on reports that surfaced in late March, both Alabama, the fifth-winningest school in NCAA history with 891 wins, and Texas, tied for No. 2 with 898, announced that the two football programs have officially finalized a future home-and-home series. The Crimson Tides will travel to Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 10, 2022, with the Longhorns making its way to Bryant-Denny Stadium Sept. 9, 2023.
Saban, if he hasn’t retired by then, would be on the verge of turning 71 when the first game of the series kicks off.
“We are pleased and happy to be able to add an opponent the caliber of the University of Texas to our non-conference schedule,” Saban said in a statement. “The Crimson Tide and Longhorns have played a lot of memorable games over the years and the addition of this home-and-home series will be great for not only our fans, but fans of college football.”
The two college football bluebloods have met nine times previously, the first coming in 1902 and the last in the 2010 Rose Bowl that served as the BCS title game for the 2009 season. The Longhorns’ lone trip to Tuscaloosa came in that initial 1902 game, while the Crimson Tide has played in Austin twice -- 1915 and 1922. The last six meetings in the mini-series have taken place in bowl games
The scheduling of this series, however, also means another high-profile home-and-home involving UT has been adjusted.
Texas had originally been scheduled to face Ohio State, also No. 2 with 898 wins in the program’s history, during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, an announcement that was made way back in October of 2012. Instead, that series has now been pushed back to Aug. 30, 2025, in Austin and Sept. 5, 2026, in Columbus.
And, finally, Texas also announced that its 2023 game against UCF has been canceled. That game against the self-proclaimed 2017 national champions was scheduled for the same day as the just-announced game against the real 2017 national champions.