clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Big 12 Realignment: Texas Tech To Replace Texas A&M As Texas' Thanksgiving Opponent, Per Report

Chip Brown of OrangeBloods.com is reporting (and that's a dubious enough statement, so take this for what it's worth) Texas Tech will replace Texas A&M as the University of Texas' Thanksgiving opponent, likely ending what small chances remained for A&M and UT to find a way to continue a classic rivalry game dating back to 1894. The A&M / Texas series is tied for third all-time with 117 meetings among FBS rivalries. Texas leads the all-time series 75-37-5.

If Brown's report is true, this is a huge boost for Tech, long the third wheel of the biggest public state universities in Texas, and the logical replacement for A&M as the Aggies move to the SEC. Maintaining an annual out-of-conference in-state rivalry as a SEC member is far from unheard of: Florida (Florida State), Georgia (Georgia Tech) and South Carolina (Clemson) have long standing contracts with ACC teams, while Kentucky and Louisville have committed to a long term deal as well (usually in September each year). 

But like all things, this is Texas, and a level of complicating bravado and showmanship from both the Aggies and Longhorns in the wake A&M departure from the Big 12 have all but destroyed the potential for this series to continue. 

Photographs by jamesbrandon, jdtornow, phlezk, flygraphix, mcdlttx, tomasland, and literalbarrage used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.