Texas Football: 3 ‘permanent opponents’ the Horns could have in SEC
Texas A&M
To round out the rejuvenation of the old Southwest Conference rivalries, we cap the list with Texas A&M.
The very idea of getting the old Lone Star Showdown going again between the Longhorns and Aggies is very exciting. Texas and Texas A&M haven’t faced each other on the gridiron since the 2011 season when all-time great kicker Justin Tucker knocked through a 40-yard field goal to nab the 27-25 win for the Longhorns in College Station.
A constant game of back and forth between the two athletic administrations and fan bases as to whose fault it is that the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry is no longer being played can finally come to an end.
This back and forth that seemingly tried to prevent the Longhorns and Aggies from facing each other on the gridiron again in the near future continued last year. There were some rumors flying that Texas A&M was trying to avoid facing Texas on an annual basis upon the Longhorns and Sooners joining the SEC.
Per Chip Brown @Horns247, A&M doesn’t want Texas in their pod when they join the SEC.
— Texas Owns Bama (8-2) (@Doc_Texas) May 13, 2022
I understand Longhorns have owned Aggies since the rivalry began. But to not even want to avenge the ass whoopins we gave out is SOFT! Should be begging for a rematch lol pic.twitter.com/hZNY7Fclun
That conversation came about when one of the ideas being kicked around was the potential of the SEC splitting into four-team pods upon Texas and Oklahoma joining the conference.
But it doesn’t sound like that idea will be what the SEC ultimately decides to role with when it officially expands to 14 teams next year.
Jimbo Fisher mentions Texas, LSU and Mississippi State as the Aggies’ possible permanent opponent in a future SEC scheduling model.
— The Eagle (@theeagle) July 22, 2022
https://t.co/LepbUY4CUb
Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher reportedly mentioned the idea of getting Texas, LSU, and the Mississippi State Bulldogs as the permanent opponents for the Aggies starting in 2024. That would be interesting considering that the Texas A&M-Arkansas game in Dallas-Fort Worth would no longer be played annually.
Fisher mentioned that when the SEC was initially discussing what each school’s permanent opponents could be last spring that Arkansas wasn’t one of those being talked about with Texas A&M.
Next. 4 new Big 12 expansion candidates with UT and OU going to the SEC in 2024. dark
At this point, it does look like Texas and Mississippi State could very well be two of the permanent opponents for the Aggies. Arkansas and LSU are two other logical options to face Fisher and the Aggies annually, but neither seems to be firmly in the works at the moment.