Here is Texas’s No. 1 rival in football
Texas A&M Aggies
The main reasons they are the Longhorns’ top rival: Many reasons but like Alabama and Auburn, Oregon and Oregon State, Michigan and Michigan State, Clemson-South Carolina, and Ole Miss-Mississippi State, an in-state rivalry that can be felt anywhere within the state amongst co-workers, neighbors, and family members is a rivalry like no other. The fans of the Aggies and the Longhorns do not like one another but there are exceptions but there are always exceptions to almost any rivalry. When a rivalry is so intense and both fanbases are so passionate about a rivalry, it is unlike most feelings and emotions a group of people/fans can have and this rivalry between Texas and Texas A&M is a very underrated national rivalry.
Both Texas and Texas A&M’s fight songs refer to one another, elucidating the rivalry between them that is fueled by shared history, animosity, and memorable moments on the football field. While Texas fans like to sing their fight song that has the lyrics, “Texas Fight, Texas Fight, and it’s goodbye to A&M!”, The Aggie War Hymn fight song exclaims, “Goodbye to Texas University, so long to the Orange and the White.” Which schools have references to another school in their school fight songs? The answer is not many.
Texas A&M and Texas have a very elaborate week of the game rituals. First, Texas students and fans have the Hex Rally, also known commonly known throughout the years as Texas Hex. It was and more than likely will resume the week of the game against the Aggies as a pep type of rally is held at the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. Texas A&M traditionally holds a bonfire constructed on campus by Texas A&M students and is affectionately referred to as “Bonfire” by Aggies. The occasion represented the Aggie students’ unwavering will to defeat the University of Texas. Since 2002, a coalition supported by students has organized an annual “Student Bonfire” off-campus that is sanctioned but not endorsed, keeping this tradition alive.
To briefly summarize this rivalry, both schools would be more than happy if the other team had not won a game before playing them. It is the final regular season game for a reason when they play one another, both teams want to ruin the other’s team season by defeating them. There have been arguments at Thanksgiving dinners among family members in the past when these two play one another. Alums will also argue over which school is better academically which has little to do with the actual game on the football field.
This rivalry can not be put into words because of how unique it is. The Aggies leaving the Big 12 and going to the SEC just to see Texas joining the SEC to renew this rivalry on the football field will show the younger generation of Aggies and Longhorn fans who are intense and passionate both fan bases get in the week leading up to this rivalry game.
The history between these two football programs: They first played one another on the football field back in 1894 and the Longhorns won the first seven games by a combined score of 157-0. The Aggies would play the Longhorns to a 0-0 tie in 1902 and then they defeated Texas for the first time in 1902. Starting with their game in 1900, they have played the vast majority of their games against the Aggies on Thanksgiving Day.
After a consistent stretch of Texas being undefeated against Texas A&M from 1903 to 1908, the rivalry started to heat up and become very competitive in terms of wins and losses. From 1909 to 1919, the Aggies struck back against the dominance of the Longhorns and won six out of nine games in this intense in-state rivalry. Then from 1920 to 1939, it was fairly even with Texas winning 10 games, Texas A&M being victorious in eight games and both teams tieing one another twice during that time.
Beginning in 1940 and ending in 1974, the Longhorns would reclaim dominance in this rivalry and win 31 times over the Aggies. Texas A&M and Texas would go back and forth from 75 to 83 before the Aggies would go on a run of dominance in this rivalry from 84 to 94. During that time, Texas A&M would win 10 games with Texas only winning once. However, the Longhorns would respond from 1995 to 2005, winning nine of 11 games against the Aggies. Both teams won three games each over the last six times these rivals had played one another.
Distance from each school: Approximately 102 miles separate these two schools in the state of Texas and it is just under a two-hour drive to get to each school. The proximity to one another is yet another reason why they are each other’s number one rivals.
In the last game, they played one another, and in their next scheduled game: It has been a little while since these two schools played one another going back to 2011. Their last game was a classic game as the Longhorns defeated the Aggies in their last match-up against one another by a final score of 27-25. Beginning in 2012, Texas A&M left the Big 12 conference to join the SEC as some Longhorns fans would argue that they did it because they wanted to get away from playing Texas annually. However, now that they are both in the same conference, they will play one another in the last scheduled regular season game for both teams on November 30th at College Station as their rivalry reignites on the football field.