Notre Dame's defense, and everyone else besides Charlie Strong and his coaching staff, won't know which quarterback will take Texas' first snap Sunday in Austin until the game kicks off.
Strong said on Monday's Big 12 teleconference he hasn't decided if freshman Shane Buechele or redshirt junior Tyrone Swoopes will start against Notre Dame, and added that he won't name a starter until his team runs on the field Sunday night.
Strong's non-reveal on Monday came across more as football coach paranoia than anything else, though. The Irish defense has been preparing for both Buechele and Swoopes -- the latter of whom completed seven of 22 passes in Notre Dame's 38-3 blowout win to open last season -- for a little while now, so either won't torpedo Brian VanGorder's scheme even if Strong won't say who the starter is.
There's been plenty of momentum behind Buechele to be the starter since he enrolled early and impressed during spring practice. The four-star recruit and son of former Cubs third baseman Steve Buechele may be Texas' most talented quarterback, but given his true freshman status hasn't ran away with the starting gig. Swoopes averaged 6.1 yards per carry and had 12 rushing touchdowns last year, but only completed 50.5 percent of his passes. Even without dismissed senior safety Max Redfield, Notre Dame's defensive strategy would probably be to load the box and force Swoopes to throw as much as possible.
It wouldn't be surprising to see both Buechele and Swoopes play on Sunday, too. So whoever Texas goes with to start the game, it shouldn't catch Notre Dame off guard.
For more on Texas, check out the latest episode of the Still Independent Podcast with TexasFootball.com's Greg Tepper: