Steve Sarkisian opens up on meaning of rivalry between Texas, Texas A&M

Even growing up on the West Coast, Steve Sarkisian was well-versed on the fierce Texas–Texas A&M rivalry.

Now, after a 13-year hiatus steeped in pettiness from both sides, the Lone Star Showdown will be revived Saturday in College Station as Sarkisian leads the third-ranked Longhorns (10-1, 6-1 SEC) against the No. 20 Aggies (8-3, 5-2) at 7:30 pm ET on ABC.

For Sarkisian, it’s a opportunity the child of 1980s never imagined sitting in front of his family’s television every Thanksgiving.

“You have to remember, as a kid growing up, I watched this game on Thanksgiving,” Sarkisian said this week. “That’s how I fell in love with Texas from the very beginning – the uniforms, the helmets. I knew that the rivalry was what it was. Because what did you do as a kid, you watched football, that’s what I did.”

Of course, it wasn’t until Sarkisian first landed in Austin three years ago that the now 50-year-old head coach got his first taste of what the Texas-A&M rivalry really means to those inside the state.

“Then getting here and knowing the rivalry and what it was about, getting presented, and some of the really cool recruiting battles that we’ve been in with them – you win some, you lose some. So we know a lot of their players pretty well, they know a lot of our players pretty well,” Sarkisian said. “You quickly find out households are divided and the state’s divided. But that’s the fun part, that’s what this last game of the regular season is supposed to feel like.

“And I’ve been a part of some great (rivalries) and I’m really grateful and thankful that this one is revived, and humbled and honored I get to be a part of it. Really, I’ve been watching this game since I was this big. So it’s pretty cool.”

Paul Finebaum: Texas ‘biggest game in the history of Texas A&M’

Paul Finebaum has no doubt the Aggies will be amped for the Longhorns return to College Station.

It’s because those emotions — and the 13-year hiatus in the rivalry — that the SEC Network host believes creates the perfect situation for an upset inside Kyle Field.

“They have to be on upset alert because this is not hyperbole. This is the biggest game in the history of Texas A&M,” Finebaum said Friday morning on ESPN’s Get Up. “They’ve been waiting for this since the moment it was announced in December.”

Still, for all the hype in Aggieland, Finebaum does expect Texas to win the game and advance to the SEC Championship and College Football Playoff.

“As big as it is, Texas is a better team,” Finebaum said. “I believe they will win and move on to Atlanta next week.”

Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report.