Marooned: Will Texas A&M Really Leave Texas Behind?

What is America's bitterest college football rivalry? That's easy.

Auburn-Alabama? Ohio State-Michigan? Mere pillowfights compared to the one I'm thinking of, for no other reason than this: those schools would never, ever consider a scenario where they might not play one another again.

If you want real hatred and utter disgust for what each rival institution represents to the other, then from the hippy-lovin', tree-huggin', ganja-smokin', hard-rockin', artsy-fartsy big blue streets of Austin to the howdy-spoutin', jackboot-wearin', snuff-dippin', country-music-playin', every-damn-spot-on-campus-is-hallowed-ground red streets of College Station, there's nothing that compares to Texas-Texas A&M.

And their rivalry has gone supernova. Forget DefCon 4, it's moved to Kirk-Khan 1.

None of us fully comprehend how much of their own flesh these schools will tear from themselves in this process. But Texas A&M will file the divorce papers it drew up last summer and leave the Big XII for the SEC.

The SEC is putting the skids on the Ags joining their league -- for now. But it will happen, and when it does, it will also likely kill the annual Texas-Texas A&M game, major college football's third-oldest rivalry, played nearly every year since 1894.

It's not just about "Show me the money", either. To A&M it's about "Show me some respect." It's a plea that is falling on deaf at UT as that school covets a place in college sports occupied only by Notre Dame, uncaring about who it steps on to get there.

It has never been this bad, but it's never really been good, either, because both universities are such polar opposites. This is the most rancorous rivalry in all of college sports.

You might get more meanness from Alabama-Auburn, but I'd bet alums from both schools pull similar levers in a voting booth, shop in similar stores, live somewhat similar lives.

Not Texas-Texas A&M.

Another Republican Texas governor is about to run for President and the decidedly liberal University of Texas campus is nearly guilt-ridden that their state -- their city -- will have given both to national politics. Throw in that Gov. Rick Perry used to be an Aggie yell leader and, to UT students, he might as well have been the warden at Abu Ghraib.

Meanwhile, in the still-deep-fried climes of College Station, if you muttered the initials "LGBT" in line for lunch at A&M's Memorial Student Center, you might get a couple of furtive glances. With your Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato and Gravy sandwich.

The campuses are just a little over two hours apart, but they couldn't be more different.

You might get more people at Michigan-Ohio State, but real bitterness and discord? Meh.

Besides, any conference pretentious enough to name its new divisions Legends and Leaders has its button-down shirts stuffed too full to notice differences outside the colors of its school ties.

But a rivalry that threatens to boil over the edges of its college football cauldron and put out its own fire? Unheard of, until now.

Speaking of fire...

How deeply would the loss of this rivalry cut into each school's identity?

If college football is rich with tradition, then the Texas Aggies are Carlos Slim Helú. And not just one of, but THE defining tradition of Texas A&M football is Aggie Bonfire, a giant stack of logs that takes months to build, then is set ablaze the night before the big game with the Horns to symbolize the Aggies' "burning desire to beat t.u."

It is considered such an honor to help build Bonfire that some A&M students have gone on academic probation for skipping classes just to make sure it gets done in time.

If A&M pulls the trigger on a move to the SEC, it effectively ends THE VERY REASON for Aggie Bonfire.

Both schools talk smack about the other in their own fight songs. How awkward will it be for Ags to join arm-in-arm to sing "saw varsity's horns off" knowing their school is truly saying "so long to the Orange and the White"?

Sure, they could make it a non-conference rivalry game -- OU-Texas was exactly that for years before the Big XII brought them together.

But if you were Texas and thought the dust had settled from last year's near meltdown, only to see Texas A&M get jealous, stir the pot and open the door for the best conference in college football to come recruit your backyard, would you want to keep playing the Aggies?

If you were Texas A&M and believed the whole re-think of the Big XII allowing Texas to have its own television network to the detriment of the rest of the conference was arrogant, perhaps even destructive to your own designs on the top rung of college football, would you want to play the Longhorns?

It won't stop there, either. The Aggies have re-started college football's conference carousel.

For years after World War II, everyone thought the world's nastiest rivalry was the United States and the Soviet Union.

The Berlin Airlift, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan -- each superpower chipped away at the other. We may never know how close they came to nuclear war, just that neither side took that extra step.

They couldn't. It was the threat of Mutually-Assured Destruction, a concept with -- considering the stakes -- the most spot-on acronym in human history.

Think about this: Texas and Texas A&M could be even more hardcore than Uncle Sam and the Russian Bear.

Because they're going to push the button.

Comments

[Alfredo (TX Alum '00)]

Interesting choice for a post title Duke Keith. Seriously? Seems that Texas left A&M behind years ago. Not only in sports but in academics and everything else as well. Good riddens to that pathetic, backwards school.

The fact that so much of the A&M tradition is centered around beating UT is laughable. This title would be more accurate, "Morons: Texas A&M Can't Keep Up, Making Desperate Move to SEC"

[Art (Texas Aggie Class of '97)]

I would suggest to Alfredo that he check recent rankings of athletics and academics - he would see that he is gravely mistaken.

Not sure how you can say it is laughable that so much of A&M's tradition is centered on UT. Duke was saying that Aggie Bonfire, one of A&M's biggest traditions, was centered on the annual Texas game - just like the UT Hex Rally is an annual tradition done in Austin before the same game. Is it laughable because UT is mentioned in the Aggie War Hymn? Just like the Aggies are mentioned in Texas Fight? So, whom should we be laughing at again? Just seems like another case of Longhorn hypocrisy at work.

I have one more suggestion for Alfredo - if you're going to post a message as an Alum pounding your chest about how much better your school's academics are than A&M's, you should learn how to spell riddance, or "riddens" as you spell it. Unless misspelling words is another one of those "Keep Austin Weird" things.

[Mike]

Art,

Alfredo just wanted to be kind and spell the word the way most Aggies have been taught to spell the word:)

[Duke Keith]

I love this rivalry. Keep it coming, guys! Looks like you'll get an extra year or so to keep it going, too, since the SEC isn't ready to accept A&M.

Whee!

[Art (Texas Aggie Class of '97)]

I don't think it's over yet, Duke. I think the SEC is doing some legal CYA. It seems that there is more to be heard in the next few days...

[Mike]

Art,

Looks like your Aggies got treated by the SEC in line with your position in the state, #2.

[Art (Texas Aggie Class of '97)]

Be patient, Mike - it's gonna happen...

[Duke Keith]

Oh, it'll happen. If you see my Twitter timeline to the right, click the link on Chip Brown's Orangebloods.com story. He says it'll happen within three weeks.

But also click on the link to Dennis Dodds of cbssports.com, because he's right: it's going to be TOUGH on A&M this season at EVERY Big IX venue.

[Richard Carter]

I think Texas A&M is just sick and tired of Texas doing only what is best for Texas. Longhorn Network is outrageous and it should tick off EVERYONE in the Big 12. As far as rivalries go, Texas A&M is walking into a pair of great rivalries just sitting there with Arkansas and LSU. And there is also the Bear Bryant legacy trail from A&M to Bama. It's not a desperation move by A&M in my eyes (I'm a huge Georgia fan/supporter)... they can fit right into the SEC. Texas is the one who looks bad to anyone not wearing burnt orange sunglasses. They are destroying the Big 12 and long standing relationships because they are greedy.

[Duke Keith]

Agreed, Richard. The Horns got used to getting their way with a decade-plus of the Big II-Little X. Took 'em awhile -- they had to get past John Mackovic -- but they've always been Texas. It just really started to chafe when Mack started winning a lot. So TLN is the next logical step if you want to take over the college football world. Only problem is, cause and effect says when something gets big, something else has to get small. In the Big XII, that's EVERYBODY ELSE. The Aggies are calling the bluff because, while everyone else might not want to say anything, Texas A&M has had a chip on its shoulder when it comes to the Horns for over a century. No way they let this slip.

[Maestro]

Alfredo- your argument is about as contemporary as the 1988 Mazda low rider truck you are rolling in complete with a Calvin peeing on a Ford decal. Sure the Aggies have traditions that galvanize the Aggies and our passion for A&M that express our hate for Texas. But this is a very different landscape and the Aggies see the writing on the wall. Texas sold it's soul to ESPN and the Aggies need to make a move. Tech and Baylor are the ones that stand the most to lose as they continue to suck from the nipple of the longhorn. We Aggies have decided that we are no longer going to be the beyotch of the evil Texas empire and are making a move to position ourselves as a national presence in football. We may not dominate the SEC, but I like our chances to compete in the top conference in the nation for years to come while Texas continues to have to answer to the mothership that is ESPN. Going independent and a national network deal did not work out so great for Notre Dame and I suspect Texas will have the same outcome. I would much rather be in our position of seeking conference stability in the top conference rather than swinging from the nuts of ESPN.

[PJ]

Major College Football is corrupt and greedy.Texas and Texas A&M are are acting like spoiled children.What is going on with the Southeast Convict Conference, the Big 10-15 years,and all these convict thugs they have playing for them along with these unethical coaches is sickening.These idiots who suggest we pay these players is the reason we need a major overhaul of college sports.First, no coach should make any more than a professor at the school.Second, players have to maintain a 2.8 average in college getting back to academics.Any player that gets in trouble (dui,dwi,assualt,etc)loses his or her scholarship.With a scholarship comes responsibility.You want to pay athletes then start a semi pro league where the majority of these convict thugs can play,and we can get back to stressing academics instead of athletics,and get these corrupt snake oil salesmen like Nick Satan,Bobby Pigtrino,John Conapari,and othe sleazy individuals out of college sports.

[moncler coats]

So fun article is! I know more from it.