Conference realignment has force the unfortunate end to a number of traditional college football rivalries, including Texas and Texas A&M. New head coach at Texas Charlie Strong has dropped the gauntlet the way many new coaches do today in attempting to fire up the momentum to see some of those rivalries resume. Unfortunately, Strong is somewhat misguided in how the series with Texas A&M should be brought back from the dead.
“You’d like to play it in a neutral site somewhere, where every year it’s in that spot, whether it’s Houston or Dallas,” Strong said in an interview with CBSSports.com.
A neutral site game? C’mon Coach Strong. Texas and Texas A&M deserves so much better than being played in a watered down pro football stadium, even if it were to be played in Arlington, home of one of the emerging super venues for college football.
Call me old-fashioned -- I can take it -- but it seems to me that if we were able to get Texas and Texas A&M back together again, then playing it in Austin or College Station should be the only way to go. Considering the tradition and passion that ignites when these two long time historic rivals get together, the sport would benefit much more from that than playing a game of this magnitude and hype in an NFL stadium. But hey, cash is king, right?
Consider it a compromise, or a last resort. The problem all schools face these days is expanded conferences are more and more looking to expand conference schedules and push conference schedules to nine games. The SEC is reviewing that possibility right now. Playing nine games makes it difficult for some teams to get in a preferred seven home games each season, which means sometimes some school is going to have to bite the bullet and budge. With the stadium sizes at Texas and Texas A&M, losing a home game any given year is noting either school would look forward to. But if a broadcast partner and the Dallas Cowboys or Houston Texans got involved with the planning and organization (and the funding), then it is a different story.
Strong knows that nothing will happen until his bosses figure something out though.
“It’s all about the two ADs getting together and getting that figured out,” Strong said. “When you look at it, it’s been such a huge rivalry game. ... I think at some point it will get worked out.”
Right now the fans at Texas and Texas A&M both appear to be fine having gone their separate ways. That is a shame. Egos have gotten the best of both sides, but over time that will calm down and the Longhorns and Aggies will play again. And that will be a good thing.