Watch Texas Longhorns Vs. Notre Dame Live Online: College Football Powerhouses Clash In Opener

College football is back and fans can watch a dream matchup live online as the Texas Longhorns open the season by invading South Bend, Indiana, to take on the number 11-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, in a game that, although it is just the first game of the season for either school, could go along way to determining how the 2015 season goes for either one.

To find out how to watch the Texas Longhorns vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish live online, see the streaming link in the final paragraph of this article. Kickoff time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, 4:30 Pacific, on Saturday September 5, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend.

After a 6-7 season last year, to knock off Notre Dame in the first game of the 2015 schedule would be more than just an upset for Texas, it would be a major statement that second-year head coach Charlie Strong and his charges are intent on making a run at a bowl game this season, if not the college football playoffs.

But the playoffs are exactly where Notre Dame has set its sights, and perhaps even the eighth National Championship in the history of the school that over the years has become synonymous with college football.

A renewed focus on the ground game is likely to be the key to achieving that goal — and Notre Dame may have no choice but to rely on its running backs with its quarteback, 20-year-old Malik Zaire (pictured above), entering the season with exactly one start under his belt for the Irish.

Granted, that start came in a bowl game, Notre Dame’s 31-28 win over LSU in the Music City Bowl. Overall, Zaire has completed 21 of 35 pass attempts for Notre Dame with one touchdown.

On the Texas Longhorns’ side, Strong settled a perhaps overhyped quarterback controversy quickly, naming junior Tyrone Swoopes his starter over redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard. But Strong said that he also has a plan to get Heard in the game in South Bend on Saturday, as well. So the job may not be as securely in Swoopes’ hands as it might appear.

To watch the Texas Longhorns vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish college football opening game live online use the live stream provided by NBC Sports Live Extra at this link, or download the NBC Sports Live Extra app to watch the high-profile gridiron showdown on mobile devices.

[Image: Andy Lyons / Getty Images]