AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns put the Southeastern Conference on notice with a big win over Alabama this weekend.
Texas is not in the SEC just yet, but after a trip to Tuscaloosa many fans are excited for away games in the future.
"Leaving the stadium in Tuscaloosa was a Texas Takeover," Texas Longhorns super fan Andrew Cornwell said.
Cornwell made the trip to Alabama. He ranks the 34-24 win over the Crimson Tide right up there with the birth of his daughter and marrying his wife.
"It was one of the best days of my life," Cornwell said. "It was incredible."
Next year, the Longhorns will hit the road to play Arkansas, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt with a stop in Dallas as usual for Oklahoma.
Cornwell said he has been to a lot of away games in the Big 12, but this away game was expensive.
"This was one of the more expensive away games I have attended," Cornwell said. "Some of the cheaper hotels were almost $600 so we stayed in Birmingham which is like an hour away."
Keith Waldon owns Departure Lounge and helps his clients plan trips for football games. He said UT fans will need to act quickly if they are going to away games in the SEC and can expect to pay a little more.
"Expect high prices, expect to jump on it the minute the game is announced because space will be gone in a number of days," Waldon said.
Waldon said the smaller the town, the more you can pay.
"You are dealing with the alumni of those schools coming back into the towns of those schools so it makes the hotel rates go up, all the private home rentals skyrocket for that time period and they all sell out well in advance," Waldon said.
Waldon said some of his clients like to fly in and then fly out and leave after a game, but sometimes the smaller private airports can have too many people flying in.
"So you do have limited flight capacity, limited places for airplanes to park, limited places where you can stay, you have to get creative," Waldon said.
Cornwell said playing in the SEC will be well worth the experience and he's ready to see what the Horns can do.
"It's worth it as you saw this weekend," Cornwell said. "It is worth every penny."