On the opening weekend of the 2015 college football season, two of the nation’s most storied programs will meet in one of the sport’s most iconic venues. Texas will travel north to South Bend, Indiana to face off against Notre Dame. 

[MORE: Notre Dame vs. Texas Prediction, Game Preview]

When it comes to college football traditions, these two programs are full of them: Touchdown Jesus, Bevo, Golden Domers, Hook ‘Em Horns … the list goes on.

On the gridiron, Notre Dame has gotten the better of Texas, leading the all-time series 8-2. The Fighting Irish are currently riding a four-game winning streak dating back to 1970. 

In anticipation of the showdown, we dove into the Notre Dame vs. Texas head-to-head football history to see how these two programs match up.

Notre Dame vs. Texas Head-To-Head Matchups

• November 27, 1913: Notre Dame 30 – Texas 7
• November 25, 1915: Notre Dame 36 – Texas 7
• October 6, 1934: Texas 7 – Notre Dame 6
• October 4, 1952: Notre Dame 14 – Texas 3
• September 25, 1954: Notre Dame 21 – Texas 0
• January 1, 1970: Texas 21 – Notre Dame 17 (Cotton Bowl)
• January 1, 1971: Notre Dame 24 – Texas 11 (Cotton Bowl)
• January 2, 1978: Notre Dame 38 – Texas 10 (Cotton Bowl)
• September 23, 1995: Notre Dame 55 – Texas 27
• September 21, 1996: Notre Dame 27 – Texas 24

The 1970 Cotton Bowl saw undefeated No. 1 Texas face off against 8-0-1 Notre Dame. Legendary coaches Darrell Royal and Ara Parseghian were on the sidelines, and future NFL quarterback Joe Theismann gave the Irish the lead with 6:52 left. Texas would not be denied, though, as Billy Dale scored a rushing touchdown with 1:06 left, clinching the national championship for Texas.

The latest matchup took place in Austin in 1996, with the Longhorns losing a heartbreaker, 27-24. Future Heisman winner Ricky Williams had the following to say after the game:

“It’s going to be hard for us to pick ourselves back up and come back. This hurts so much. It’s a big step back.”

Total National Titles

Notre Dame has brought the national championship trophy back to South Bend 11 times (claimed titles). The most recent was 1988.

Texas lays claim to four national titles, including the epic BCS National Championship Game victory over USC in 2005.

All-Time Wins

Notre Dame is second in FBS wins all-time with 882, while Texas is just one behind at 881.

Winning Percentage

The Irish and the Longhorns don’t lose often, as Notre Dame is first all-time in winning percentage with a .732 mark and Texas follows at .712, good for sixth all time.

Bowl History

Texas leads Notre Dame in number of bowl games appeared in and bowl record. The Longhorns are 27-24-2 (.528) in postseason play, while Notre Dame is 17-17 (.500).

Heisman Winners

Notre Dame leads all programs with seven Heisman Trophy winners.

• 1943 – Angelo Bertelli
• 1947 – Johnny Lujack
• 1949 – Leon Hart
• 1953 – Johnny Lattner
• 1956 – Paul Hornung
• 1964 – John Huarte
• 1987 – Tim Brown 

Texas has had two Heisman winners.

• 1977 – Earl Campbell
• 1998 – Ricky Williams

All-Americans

Notre Dame has had more consensus All-Americans than any other program with 97, while Texas follows at seventh all time with 53.

The Irish have trotted out names such as George Gipp, Raghib “Rocket Ismail and Tim Brown.

Cedric Benson, Roy Williams and Hub Bechtol have all made playing the Longhorns a nightmare in the past. 

NFL Draft Picks

Athletes from both programs also go on to make an impact at the next level. Notre Dame is second all-time with 486 NFL Draft picks, while Texas has had 337 players chosen. The Irish have also had 64 first round picks. The Longhorns have sent 45 players to the league in the opening round.

Four Irish players (Angelo Bertelli, Leon Hart, Paul Hornung and Walt Putulski) have been the overall No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. Texas has had three (Tommy Nobis, Earl Campbell and Kenneth Sims).

Rankings

Only Oklahoma has appeared as No. 1 in the AP poll more times than Notre Dame. The Irish have spent 98 weeks ranked No. 1, while the Longhorns have spent 45 weeks at the top spot.

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2015 College Football Hype Video