There are many reasons why the Aggies are ranked above the Sooners as the Longhorns No. 1 rival, but much like the rivalry between Alabama and Auburn, Oregon and Oregon State, Michigan and Michigan State, Clemson and South Carolina, and Ole Miss and Mississippi State, an instate rivalry that can be felt anywhere within the state amongst coworkers, neighbors, and family members is a rivalry that is unlike any other. It’s a privilege to witness such intense rivalries in college football if you are lucky enough to attend the games in person.
The supporters of the Longhorns and the Aggies do not get along with one another, but there are exceptions to the rule. In fact, there are always exceptions to almost any rivalry among sports fans. It is unlike most feelings and emotions that a group of people or fans can have, and this rivalry between Texas and Texas A&M is a very underrated national rivalry. When a rivalry is so intense and both fanbases are so passionate about it, it is exceptional. The passion of the fanbases fuels the intensity of this rivalry.
Trev Alberts who is the athletic director at Texas A&M recently claimed that this could be beome the best rivalry in all of college football.
The rivalry between Texas and Texas A&M in football is not just about the games. A shared past, hostility, and even the school fight songs all contribute to its fuel. Both Texas and Texas A&M’s fight songs make direct references to each other, further elucidating the depth of this rivalry.
The Aggie War Hymn fight song exclaims, “Goodbye to Texas University, so long to the Orange and the White!” This contrasts with the Texas Fight song, which has the lyrics, “Texas Fight, Texas Fight, and it’s goodbye to A&M!” Fans of Texas like to sing their fight song, as do the Aggies faithful.
Regarding school fight songs, which schools have references to other schools throughout their songs? That is not a very large number of schools that do.
Both Texas A&M and Texas have unique and elaborate rituals that take place during the week of the game. The Hex Rally, commonly referred to as the Texas Hex, is a unique event that brings together students and fans of the state of Texas.
A pep rally was held on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin during the week of the game against the Aggies, and it will likely continue doing so during the same week now that these two schools will play one another annually again on the football field.
When Texas A&M University holds its annual bonfire, affectionately referred to as “Bonfire” by Aggies, it is traditionally constructed on campus by Texas A&M students. This event served as a manifestation of the unyielding determination of the Aggie students to triumph over the University of Texas.
The “Student Bonfire” is an annual event that takes place off campus and is sanctioned but not endorsed by the university. This tradition has been kept alive by a coalition that has been supported by students since 2002.
To provide a concise summary of this rivalry, both schools would be more than satisfied if the opposing team had not won a game before playing them. This contrasts with how Oklahoma and Texas fans feel before playing each other in comparison.
When these two teams face off against one another, it is for a specific reason: it is the final regular season game for both teams, and they want to defeat the other team to ruin their season. When these two play each other, arguments have taken place at Thanksgiving dinners in the past between members of the same family.
In addition, alumni will argue about which school is superior academically, which is a topic that has very little to do with the actual game that takes place on the football field. Texas and Texas A&M are more similar academically than Oklahoma and Texas as well. Because it is so one-of-a-kind, this competition is challenging to put into words. The fact that the Aggies are leaving the Big 12 and joining the SEC to see Texas join the SEC to renew this rivalry on the football field will demonstrate to the younger generation of Aggies and Longhorn fans how intense and passionate both fan bases get in the week leading up to this rivalry game by explaining that both fan bases are equally passionate.
Rivalry History
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The Longhorns won the first seven games of their series against the Aggies on the football field beginning in 1894, with a combined score of 157-0. In 1902, the Aggies played the Longhorns to a scoreless draw, and then three years later, they won their first game against Texas. Thanksgiving Day was the day on which they played most of their games against the Aggies, beginning with their game in the year 1900.
The rivalry between Texas and Texas A&M began to heat up and become very competitive in terms of wins and losses after Texas had a period during which they were undefeated against Texas A&M from 1903 to 1908. Between 1909 and 1919, the Aggies were able to retaliate against the dominance of the Longhorns by winning six out of nine games in this intense rivalry within the state. Then, from 1920 until 1939, the competition was pretty even, with Texas winning ten games, Texas A&M winning eight games, and both teams drawing twice during that time period. During that time, Texas won 10, and Texas A&M won eight.
The Longhorns would reclaim their dominance in this rivalry beginning in 1940 and continuing until 1974, during which time they would win 31 games against the Aggies combined. Texas A&M and Texas would go back and forth between 1975 and 1983 before the Aggies would go on a run of dominance in this rivalry, going from 1984 to 1994. Texas A&M would win ten games during that period, while Texas would only win one. Despite this, the Longhorns would eventually respond by winning nine of eleven games against the Aggies between the years 1995 and 2005. During the previous six times that these rivals had competed against one another, each team went on to win three games.
How far apart are they?
Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
The distance between these two Texas schools is approximately 102 miles, and it takes a little less than two hours to drive to each of the schools. Another reason why they are each other’s most formidable competitors is the fact that they are located in close proximity to one another.
Here is a breakdown of the distance between the two schools using the primary mode of transportation.
Driving between campuses: If you take the quickest route, it will take approximately one hour and fifty two minutes to travel from the University of Texas in Austin to Texas A&M University in College Station.
Possibly between Austin to College Station: When it comes to flying to the closest major airports, there are no direct public flights between College State and Austin because of the two cities’ proximity.
The Most Memorable Game in the Rivalry
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The game in 1963 was a close call for the Longhorns. An upset would have cost Texas its first national championship. The Longhorns went to College Station with the best record in the country. Texas A&M came into the game with a losing record and the Aggies were not a very good football team, at least on paper that season. The Longhorns were the top-ranked team for most of the season back in 1963 and this game against the Aggies was supposed to be an easy win, at least that is what they had anticipated.
The game itself did not start well for the Longhorns as Texas A&M had a 13-3 lead going into the fourth quarter of the game. The chances for Texas to win its first national championship looked like it was not going to happen. The Longhorns would respond and score to make the score 13–9. Then with just over one minute remaining in the game, Texas would score to give them the lead for good to win. The final score was 15-13 as the Longhorns escaped with a two point victory. Texas played Navy in the Cotton Bowl, as the Longhorns beat Navy 28–6 to do the impossible and go undefeated and get their first modern day national championship.
Records By the Numbers
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Total Meetings: 118
All-time series: Texas leads 76-37-5
Largest victory for both teams: Texas won 48-0 in 1898, and Texas A&M won 42-10 in 1985
Longest win streak: 10 (1957–1966) Texas
In the last 15 meetings: Texas leads 10-5
Most Recent Meeting
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The last meeting between the Horns and Aggies was 2011, so it’s been a while since these two schools played each other. The Longhorns beat the Aggies in their last meeting, which was a classic game. The final score was 27-25 for Texas.
Following the 2012 season, Texas A&M left the Big 12 to join the SEC. Some Longhorns fans would say that they did this to avoid having to play Texas every year. Now that they are both in the same conference, though, they will play each other in the last regular season game for both teams on November 30 at College Station. This will bring back their rivalry on the football field.