Forget about the bill Texas lawmakers filed to make University of Texas play the Texas A&M Aggies in football every year to rekindle a rivalry game of the past. The Aggies already have a rival: the LSU Tigers!
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That old tradition died back in 2012 when the Aggies left the Big 12 Conference to join the SEC. It's also not a real rivalry for a handful of reasons:
— Texas leads the all-time series 76-37-5. Double the victories is not a rivalry. It's an annual beat down.
— Texas has a real rivalry with the Oklahoma Sooners, who are currently in their conference. #hornsdown
— If you have to pass a bill to bring it back, it's probably lame already. In-state bragging rights only go so far.
However, there an organically created rivalry developed in real time with today's generation and casual fans. After the epic 74-72 victory in seven overtimes that Texas A&M pulled out over LSU down in College Station back in 2018, social media set itself on fire about that game. Aggie fans called it the best college game ever, LSU fans and college football fans in general called it the biggest job pulled off by officials, but no matter where you stand on the outcome of this game, you have to admit a fire was lit. Not only will the teams be looking forward to playing each other again at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to prove this game wasn't a fluke, fans are also helping to make this the newest rivalry in the SEC.
LSU-Texas A&M Rivalry
The matchup became secondary to the things that happened after the game. The controversy about the officiating of this game also went beyond fans complaining on social media — It is the gasoline to this rivalry bonfire. The SEC director of officials got into the conversation in an effort to restore the credibility of the SEC officials. The arguments were weak and fell flat on the people who remember what they saw and what they felt that Saturday night watching the game. The self-serving justifications have added fuel to the fire between fans that were personally insulting each other on the Internet. This has fans fired up for the rematch, and people feel like the only thing that will make this right is if the Aggies lose big against the Tigers.
The next thing was the postgame fights on the surface of Kyle Field. The details were muddy at first, but nothing says rivalry like opposing staff members scuffling after the game:
Zwerneman sounds a little like Zapruder, right? I’ve acquired video disputing Steve Kragthorpe’s version of postgame fight — he was shoved by Cole Fisher, not punched. More to come, including LSU safety John Battle punching Cole Fisher while Fisher & Kevin Faulk trade blows: pic.twitter.com/pzzjJ3P2P1
— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) November 27, 2018
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To be filed in the petty section, LSU's staff decided to extend a scholarship offer to Texas A&M 2020 pledge Smart Chibuzo out of Missouri, Texas. Not only because the guy can play, but this is now also becoming an arms race for the next decade. The Tigers are subconsciously flexing their SEC superiority by showing the Aggies they can take their recruits. Chibuzo is a four-star offensive tackle listed at 6-foot-5 and 319 pounds, and is ranked the No. 35 offensive tackle.
The best thing of all is that this rivalry is created on a historic accomplishment. That means people outside of Texas and Louisiana care and are emotionally invested. It's what the entire spirit of American sports is based on. The Aggies won a historic game at home on the last week of the regular season against a top-10 team.
The game is edged in the history books and LSU will have to live with it forever. With head coaches Ed Orgeron and Jimbo Fisher building powerhouse programs, and the hype surrounding last season, this annual rivalry week showdown is on!
This article was originally published November 30, 2018.
