On November 24, 2011, Justin Tucker kicked a field goal just as the clock hit zero, winning the final rivalry game between the Aggies and Longhorns, or so we all thought. It will be 13 years and six days since that demoralizing night in Kyle Field when the 12th Man tries to facilitate a different outcome. This 119th edition of the Lone Star Showdown is arguably the most important ever played. Texas enters the matchup at 10-1 overall, and 6-1 in the SEC as Texas A&M is 8-3 overall and 5-2 in the SEC.
The national implications will loom large, as the winner reserves a spot in the SEC championship game against Georgia. The Aggies must win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Texas on the other hand is likely in any way although Austinites wouldn’t be confident by any means. All that being said, if you were to ask your average Texan from Bastrop, Odessa, Austin, or College Station, the last thing on their mind would be the almighty playoff.
“The game with A&M, you’re talking about houses divided, you’re talking about decades of tremendous games,” Coach Sarkisian stated on the return of the rivalry. Not to be outdone, Aggies head Coach Mike Elko had a rather telling statement at his press conference ahead of facing Auburn: “Our focus is single-handedly on Texas…I mean Auburn.” Hilariously enough the Aggies would fall to the Tigers to pick up their third loss in overtime. Read into his gaffe however much you want but what is undeniable is that both teams have had this game circled for years. Texas fans are lying when they tell you they don’t care. This showdown should be an instant classic given the hatred shared between two longtime foes. Especially considering that this game was never supposed to happen again. Texas A&M’s departure to the SEC in 2012 for all intents and purposes should have killed the rivalry. In fact, it almost did.
When Texas A&M decided to leave for the SEC the balance of power in the state began to shift. The Aggies enjoyed financial stability, recruiting edges, and perhaps most importantly, moving out from Texas’ shadow. It was no secret that Texas had an unbalanced amount of political power in the Big 12. Look no further than their lucrative deal with ESPN: Longhorn Network. An exclusive TV channel airing Texas athletics, revenue and all. This infuriated A&M along with the rest of the conference. That being said, DeLoss Dodds, then athletic director of Texas claimed the Aggies had a chance to join the network and refused. This uneven treatment drove away schools such as Colorado and Nebraska from the conference. To play devil’s advocate, the Longhorn Network stopped a Big 12 exodus to what would be a Pac-16 super conference in 2010. However, it’s clear that A&M saw Texas more as a tyrant than a savoir of the Big 12 and went east two years later.
Despite the 12-year hiatus, Longhorns and Aggies have no love lost for each other. That’s no surprise, but what has been the disconnect between fans and both schools’ administration. “It’s not at the top of my list.” former Texas AD Steve Patterson said, seeming to leave the rivalry behind by 2014. In 2018 when Texas’ current AD, Chris Del Conte, reached out to College Station to schedule a home and home series he was met with the reply, “We were already booked.” It seemed odd that two longtime rivals had failed to schedule a game even if they were in separate conferences. Just look at Iowa and Iowa State with their annual CyHawk game. Georgia and Georgia Tech, Clemson and South Carolina, the examples go on and on. So, what stopped this game from being played?
Was it hate? A staring contest? Why were the Longhorns and Aggies so hellbent on not playing each other? In my opinion: a superiority complex and Battered Aggie Syndrome (BAS). Texas, the long-presumed “big brother” in this relationship treated A&M exactly as big brothers do. Was this justified? Maybe, history is written by the winners and Texas is undeniably more of a winner than Texas A&M. Texas leads the all-time series 76-37-5. That being said, was it worth it to almost kill this rivalry? Consequently, A&M has gone to great lengths to escape the grasp of Texas. Former A&M AD Ross Bjork stated, “There’s a reason why Texas A&M left the Big 12 — to be standalone, to have our own identity.” This is the crux of BAS, fearing what always has been with Texas always will be. What other team in sports moves conferences because of your rival? Both schools have pretended to not need or barely even acknowledge each other. Maybe you believe Texas is the bully that forced A&M’s hand, or you think that the Aggies are just a sore loser. Either way, the biggest loser was the great people of the Lone Star State.
The absence of the Lone Star Showdown is detrimental to college football. One of the greatest rivalries in the country lay dormant at the expense of the people who care the most: the fans. For over the past decade, students who attended the two dominant public schools in the state were done a grave injustice. The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University are both large, prestigious universities that only sit 104 miles apart. They are the two premier brands in the state of Texas whether they want to admit it or not. Both fight songs mention the other school. It is just absurd that the two best public schools that fight over students, recruits, academics, state funding, and who the real Texas university is refused to find out on the field.
So how did we make it back here? Despite the failure of House Bill 412 in the 86th Texas Legislature, the Longhorns and Aggies will square off once again. Texas once again used its brand and leverage as only it could to join the premier conference in football alongside the Aggies. Albeit at the cost of Longhorn Network. However, A&M wouldn’t let them join without a fight as BAS would rear its ugly head. A&M argued the SEC was violating a “gentleman’s agreement” by admitting the Longhorns. Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said, “It’s an exclusive club, and not everybody gets in, so good luck. Especially if A&M has anything to do with it.” The Aggies had lobbied against Texas joining the SEC, but not without a silver lining. Just like the last showdown, the first will be in Kyle Field.
Does this gift make a difference? Time will tell. Even as this game is played at the behest of the all-powerful SEC, this ancient feud was here before mega conferences, the playoff, and the Longhorn Network. Hopefully, it will be here long after they’re gone. Millions of alumni, students, and fans will get the opportunity they’ve longed for: a chance to prove who runs the greatest state in this country. A once-dead rivalry has now roared back to life and is taking center stage in the college football world. And to me and every Texan, that means more than what seed Texas gets in the playoff. So, does this game just mean more? Sure, but I implore you to ask: how can something mean more than everything?
Texas vs. Texas A&M airs primetime on November 30th at 6:30 PM CST on ABC.
