The Return of the Texas-Texas A&M Rivalry: A Timeline of Separation and Pettiness
On Thanksgiving Day 2011, the Texas-Texas A&M football rivalry appeared to end when Longhorns senior and future NFL star Justin Tucker nailed a 40-yard game-winning field goal, sealing a 27-25 victory. It marked a bittersweet conclusion to a series that began in 1894.
“It was special,” Tucker said. “This is what we play for in college football. Putting a smile on every Longhorn fan’s face tonight was special to me.”
However, the game’s abrupt end wasn’t just about competition—it was a casualty of conference realignment. Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2012, leaving the rivalry in limbo. The Longhorns wouldn’t join the SEC until another major realignment more than a decade later.
The Separation Years: Lingering Rivalry, New Venues
Though the teams haven’t met on the football field in over 4,700 days, the rivalry persisted through social media spats, legislative pushes, and other sports competitions.
- 2012: Texas replaced A&M on Thanksgiving with TCU, while A&M began facing Missouri. Fueled by Johnny Manziel’s Heisman-winning season and a win over No. 1 Alabama, A&M thrived, while Texas’ Alex Okafor dismissed A&M’s SEC ambitions.
- 2013: Legislative attempts to force the rivalry’s return began. HB 778, introduced by a Texas A&M graduate, proposed penalizing the school that refused to play. Similar measures failed in subsequent years. Administrators and coaches traded barbs, with Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds declaring, “They left. We get to decide when we play again.”
- 2014–2017: As Texas experienced leadership changes, A&M capitalized on its SEC success. Aggies officials mocked the Longhorn Network, and the programs took jabs at each other’s performance and traditions. Efforts to rekindle the rivalry, including a proposed 2022–2023 home-and-home series, were rejected by A&M.
Renewed Hope: Texas Joins the SEC
The rivalry’s revival became inevitable when Texas announced its move to the SEC in 2021. Despite initial resistance from A&M leadership, SEC expansion set the stage for the historic matchup to return.
- 2021: Texas A&M protested Texas’ inclusion in the SEC, citing an unwritten “gentleman’s agreement” to avoid in-state competition. Former A&M chancellor R. Bowen Loftin criticized Texas, claiming, “They have a very high opinion of themselves—but not always justified.”
- 2024: After years of speculation, the Longhorns and Aggies will face off in their first SEC season together. Texas enters the game as a top contender for the conference title, while A&M seeks to reassert itself under new head coach Mike Elko.
A Rivalry Rekindled
Both Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and A&M’s Mike Elko have welcomed the game’s return. Elko noted, “When you have two programs like that in the same state two hours away, they should play every year. It should mean a lot.”
After 13 years of trash talk, political maneuvers, and longing from fans, Saturday night will mark the rebirth of one of college football’s greatest rivalries.
(Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN+.)
