FROM THE REAL ART SPORTS DESK
Old rivals Aggies-LSU together again

From the Houston Chronicle:

The Cotton Bowl has ensured that one of Texas A&M’s old acquaintances won’t be forgot, as the Aggies will renew a once-grand rivalry in the new year.

The 9-3 Aggies will take on 10-2 LSU on Jan. 7 in prime time. The teams played annually from 1986-95, and before that from 1960-75, in addition to previous collisions between the state border foes.

And in a topsy-turvy college football world that soon will feature 12 teams in the Big Ten and ten teams in the Big 12, A&M and LSU will play the Cotton Bowl in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

More Big 12 bowl info here.

Okay, so I'm from Houston, just an hour and a half or so from College Station. The A&M small animal clinic once saved my cat. I've known and individually respected many Aggies over the years. And it's the Cotton Bowl, the game that for years was where the Southwest Conference champion went to finish its season, which meant that my beloved Longhorns often played there. I am, after all, a Texan in the end.

Ah, who am I trying to kid? Screw the Aggies and geaux Tigers! Sure, I'll cheer the Aggies on from time to time, against Oklahoma for instance, but certainly not against LSU. I mean, I did get my MFA from LSU. This makes it relatively easy: I hate the Aggies because I'm a Longhorn; I went to school in Baton Rouge, so I'm a Tiger, too. Who could possibly blame me for taking LSU's side?

But this longstanding rivalry between the two schools is news to me. I really do need to read up on LSU's rich football history--I know far more about Texas. The relationship between LSU and A&M makes sense, though. Since going there, I've often described Louisiana State as something of a combination of UT and Texas A&M. It's an enormous state university with a good football program. It's got the agricultural studies stuff like the Aggies, but it's also got a law school and cool cultural and mass communications departments like Texas. And its football fans are, I daresay, as rabid as the people in College Station.

This will probably be a good game, but in the end I fully expect the Tigers to win. Okay, I'm writing in January 7th on my calendar right now.

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