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Texas football and Texas A&M football are two of the highest-profile universities in the world of college football. Both are looking to improve their standing in the coming months and years as college football's playing field ramps up and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) dollars become a way of life for college football coaches and programs.
Recently, the two former Big 12 powerhouses, now members of the SEC, decided to express interest in playing their rivalry game in a special Black Friday time slot, instead of the traditional Thanksgiving night window they played in during their last meeting in 2011. The news was revealed by Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, who seemed to hint that it would be smarter to play a game on a night without so much NFL competition.
“There's three NFL windows (on Thanksgiving),” Chris Del Conte said Thursday. “For me, if it was up to my druthers, I'd like to play it on Friday night. It'd be great, unencumbered. The only game, the only show you think about from coast to coast. A Friday night game would be spectacular.”
Del Conte's ‘Friday Night Lights' admission came amid news of the Texas football team's biggest x-factor, and it's not quarterback Quinn Ewers. After two season-ending injuries on their team, the Longhorns decided to add an SMU Mustangs player in the transfer portal.
Will the two Texas-sized powers meet on a Friday night sometime soon? That remains to be seen, but for now, fans are content to ponder the possibilities.
Texas A&M AD responds
Texas A&M's current athletic director is former Butkus Award winning linebacker Trev Alberts, who played his college football at the University of Nebraska before moving on to comment during college football postgame shows on ESPN for several years.
Trev Alberts said that he can envision a scenario in which the two teams play on a Friday night.
“What I'm most in favor of is ‘What window do we own the best, particularly in prime time?” Alberts said. “I would not be surprised if, in the future, the game moves to Friday night.”
November 30 showdown looms
Both Texas A&M football and Texas football are expected to meet on Saturday, November 30 after a 13-year hiatus. The series between the two Lone Star State powerhouses dates back to 1894 and was played from 1915 to 2011. Texas A&M football joined the SEC on July 1, ending the series.
