Jimbo Fisher on A&M vs Texas: 'One of the original Thanksgiving games'

Watching Texas take on Texas A&M will always be one of Jimbo Fisher’s favorite Thanksgiving memories. The Aggies coach spoke with glee in his Monday press conference as he recalled some big names he watched in the rivalry game on past Turkey days.

“It was on Thanksgiving,” he said. “The Cowboys are on Thanksgiving. The Lions are on Thanksgiving. That was one of the college games that was always on. It was one of the original Thanksgiving Day games. I remember watching Bubba Bean, Johnny Lam, Earl Campbell, those are the names I remember off the top of my head. That was back in the 70s.”

The Longhorns and A&M have a storied history against each other, meeting annually for nearly 100 years from 1915 to 2011. They were usually in the same conference, paired together in the old Southwest before moving to the Big 12 beginning in 1996.

That all changed when Texas A&M left the Big 12 in 2012 to join the SEC, abruptly ending the annual contest. The schools have not played against each other in football since then, with Texas currently holding a 76-37-5 all-time advantage.

With the Longhorns and Oklahoma announcing they will join the SEC at least by 2025, the rivalry will soon be restored. That’s not exactly what A&M wanted, as athletic director Ross Bjork spoke out against adding the two schools when the move was initially reported.

“We want to be the only SEC program in the state of Texas,” Bjork said. “There’s a reason why Texas A&M left the Big 12 — to be standalone, to have our own identity.”

The Aggies were forced to swallow their pride, however, as Texas and Oklahoma were unanimously voted into the conference on July 29.

Although Bjork might not be thrilled about Texas A&M facing Texas again, Jimbo Fisher appears to be. Fans from both schools will also likely be excited to watch a game that was previously a tradition in their lives.

Before then, however, each school has unfinished business in 2021.

Texas has been eliminated from bowl contention but will close its season with Senior Day against Kansas State on Friday in Austin. The Aggies, which sit at 8-3, will look for their ninth win of the year against LSU on Saturday.