AUSTIN, Texas — Thanksgiving Day. Bevo and Reveille. The Longhorns and Aggies. Gig 'Em and Hook 'Em. The Showband of the Southwest and the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band.
Some would say they're all as much a part of Texas history and tradition as the Battle of the Alamo.
Texas and Texas A&M have met in a tackle football game 118 times. It's a series dominated by the burnt orange, but still pretty even during the last 28 games with the Aggies winning 15.
Texas won the final game in the old Southwest Conference in 1995, before the Big 12 started the next year.
RELATED:
Fast forward to 2011 in College Station, that's where Justin Tucker kicked the Longhorns to the win the last time these two old rivals met.
Since then, Texas A&M has been a proud member of the Southeastern Conference while UT stayed in the Big 12, meaning the two teams would never meet again.
Or would they?
Fans like the idea of this classic rivalry making a comeback. But, eight years later, it still hasn't happened.
Why?
First, scheduling conflicts. Texas A&M has four non-conference dates available every season, due to playing eight SEC games.
Texas plays nine Big 12 games every year, so the Longhorns have only three non-conference dates. Of course, they could always meet in a bowl game, but that would happen by chance.
As for the regular season, the schedule for 2019 is already set, but if you look at the non-conference dates for both the Aggies and Longhorns beginning in 2020, you'll see there are no dates available for the rivals to play that year.
The first year with a possible open date is 2023, then again in 2024.
The question is, does it benefit either football program to meet in a high-profile, in-state rivalry game?
I say, ABSOLUTELY!
Three huge examples: Georgia and Georgia Tech, Florida and Florida State, and Clemson and South Carolina -- all in-state, non-conference games that get great attention and energy.
So, why not the Aggies and Longhorns?
The schools' presidents recently expressed interest in restoring the football rivalry.
The schools already play occasional basketball games, and the baseball programs meet every year, but watching the Aggies and Longhorns on a football field is different. There's no comparison to any other sport.
A Texas vs. Texas A&M game is great for college football, and to think that two schools only 106 miles apart can't find a way to meet every year is absurd.
So there are scheduling obstacles, but those should be easy to solve.
Each school's fan base, alumni and students have accused the other countless times on social media that the rival team is simply too scared to face the other team.
I don't think that has anything to do with it, and I think they should play every year.
If you agree, how can you make a difference?
Your voice is powerful! Why not express your desire to see that classic football rivalry brought back through your letters, emails and calls to the presidents and athletic directors of each school.
There's simply no valid reason for these in-state rivals NOT to meet in a football game.
Trust me, in case you've never seen the Longhorns and the Aggies tangle, it's special. It's a significant part of our state's great history, and should be part of its future too.
Submit your thoughts and opinions to me via Twitter: @ShawnC_KVUE.