In an attempt to bring back one of the great rivalries in college sports, a Texas state legislator filed a bill Monday that would require Texas and Texas A&M to once again meet in football on an annual basis.
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The bill, HB 778, was filed by Ryan Guillen, a Democrat from the state’s House District 31. (Guillen is a graduate of Texas A&M.)
The bill’s goal, quite simply, is have Texas and Texas A&M meet every fall in a regular season game – such as the two in-state rivals did every year from 1915 through 2011. The one difference would be that the Longhorns and Aggies would meet in a non-conference game, not as members of the same league.
Bill HB 778 also presents a penalty should the game[2] fail to occur: “Whichever institution refused to participate in the showdown would suffer restrictions on its athletic scholarships,” as the Texas Tribune notes.
The rivalry began in 1894, when Texas blanked A&M 38-0, and continued through the 2011 season, when the Longhorns shocked A&M 27-25. After the end of the 2011 season, Texas A&M left UT and the Big 12 to become a member of the SEC.
Overall, Texas holds a 76-37-5 edge in the series.
Guillen provided a statement to ESPN[3]:
“This game is as much a Texas tradition as cowboy boots and barbecue. The purpose of this bill is to put the ‘eyes of Texas upon’ our two greatest state universities to restore this sacred Texas tradition. I think the people of Texas want a game, and we’re trying to get them one.”
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Do the people of Texas want a game? Yes, absolutely. But perhaps only LBJ had the legislative sway in Texas to bring these two rivals to the table.
If the two sides do agree on a game, look for it to be at least a few years in the future (when both teams can find an open date) and look for it to be done with the blessing of its broadcast partners. Also, look for it to be the most highly anticipated regular season game of the season – if not any season.
References
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/01/28/florida-international-university-recruits-strip-club/1870571/ (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ http://www.texastribune.org/2013/01/28/bill-would-require-annual-ut-and-m-football-game/ (www.texastribune.org)
- ^ http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8892840/texas-legislator-files-bill-revive-texas-longhorns-texas-aggies-rivalry-game (espn.go.com)
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/01/28/manti-teo-peta-faux-chicken-super-bowl-ad/1871405/ (www.usatoday.com)
