Stop me if you’ve heard this before — Texas is viewed as the Dallas Cowboys or New York Yankees of the college football world.
No matter the opponent, teams often play up to their best standards in an attempt to defeat the Longhorns. For many programs, playing against Texas is their biggest game of the year.
However, Texas only truly has two deep rivalries. One that no longer takes place (although will soon renew in the SEC), and one that continues to be one of the most anticipated games of the year.
Brad Crawford of 247Sports recently ranked the 10 most heated rivalries in college sports and Texas graced the list twice. Texas-TexasA&M landed at No. 9. This rivalry will likely rise as it will pick up steam once the Longhorns join the SEC.
After taking votes from the crowd within the 247Sports offices, Texas A&M-Texas routinely came up. These two haven’t met on the gridiron since 2011, but that doesn’t mean at least one of the sides hasn’t tried. The annual game ended when Texas A&M joined the SEC 10 years ago, but with the Longhorns soon to enter the nation’s most competitive league, most expect this series to be renewed. In January 2013, a Texas state legislator filed a bill that would require them to play each other every year, but it never came to fruition. There have been failed attempts since. It comes as no surprise Texas A&M wasn’t in favor of Texas joining the SEC, by the way. Athletic director Ross Bjork said last summer at SEC Media Days that his university loved “being the only school in the state of Texas in the SEC…we’re going to maintain that position.” Texas leads the all-time series, 76–37–5. – Crawford
At No. 5 was Texas-Oklahoma for the Red River Rivalry.
Red River Hate. Call this matchup whatever you want. The slogan doesn’t matter. From the pre-game pageantry to post-game war of words, the Big 12’s best rivalry is incredibly bitter. This series played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas has featured everything you’d want in a border war — legendary players and coaches, national championship and conference title implications and bragging rights year-round the following year. Look at these score from the last three meetings — 55-48, 53-45, 34-27 — all wins by the Sooners. Texas and Oklahoma met twice during the 2018 season, only the third time that’s happened in the same year in more than a century. The Sooners avenged a regular-season loss to the Longhorns to win their fourth consecutive conference crown. Texas leads all-time, 62–50–5, but Oklahoma has dominated the past decade. – Crawford
Crawford put the Michigan-Ohio state football rivalry at No. 1 on the rankings, while North Carolina-Duke basketball landed at No. 2 overall.
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