Texas vs. Texas A&M Football rivalry renewal would be great for CFB

When it comes to the best rivalries in college sports, you won’t generally think of Texas vs. Texas A&M Football. This used to be the case, but the two teams haven’t played each other since Texas A&M left the Big 12 to join the SEC in 2012.

It was a huge move for the Aggies, but leaving behind their best rivalry has taken out some of the excitement of each season of football. Even so, the Aggies and Longhorns battle it out on the recruiting grounds each year for Texas recruits, so the feeling of distaste toward one another has not disappeared at all.

Thankfully, a move was taken in the right direction that could help revive one of the best rivalries in college football. On Wednesday, it was reported that both Texas and Oklahoma have reached out to the SEC about potentially joining the Southeastern Conference.

A revival of the Texas vs. Texas A&M Football rivalry would instantly elevate college football

The specifics of how this would happen are a little bit iffy, as this would push the SEC into becoming a 16-team conference. That said, Texas and Oklahoma are among the largest brands in college football, so it’ll be hard for anybody to reject this proposal.

But let’s forget about how this is going to happen and look into what would change if it did happen.

Texas joining the SEC would, in all likelihood, allow for the Longhorns to face off against the Aggies on a yearly basis. This is something that we haven’t seen since 2011 and it was one of the more exciting games each season.

The history of this rivalry is extremely unique, as these programs don’t generally trade wins. Instead, one team seems to dominate for a long period of time. Here’s an example.

In 17 matchups between 1995 and 2011, Texas won 12 of the games to Texas A&M’s 5. Just before the rivalry came to a screeching halt, it looked like the Longhorns were dominating. But it wasn’t always that way. Before this, the Aggies did some dominating themselves.

In the 11 years prior to this dry spell from the Aggies, they beat Texas in 10 of 11 matchups between 1984 and 1994. That also looked like total domination.

It may not be the typical back-and-forth rivalry on a year-to-year basis, but it’s one of the most exciting ones in the game. You never know which program is going to turn the tide at a moment’s notice.

The last game between these two teams came down to a game-winning field goal in one of the best college football games that season.

Both programs are in good positions competition-wise, landing in the top-25 in each of the past couple of seasons, so this one would come back in full force. Each team’s fanbase will be looking to renew this rivalry.