Strong wants to play the Aggies, but will the administration let him?; Photo: USA Today Sports
Charlie Strong has had some interesting things to say about the Texas A&M program since he became head coach at Texas, calling the Aggies a "gadget program". A&M coach Kevin Sumlin responded by holding back and not taking shots but instead putting the focus back on the competition inside the SEC.
Since Sumlin has come on board at A&M, the Aggies have gone 20-6. During that same time period, the in-state rival Longhorns went 17-9. With Sumlin and Manziel, the Aggies became the stronger of the in-state teams but because of the Aggies moving to the SEC and the fallout of the Longhorn network, the Aggies have been unable to prove this on the field.
In late 2013, A&M senior associate athletic director said it was a possibility (to resume playing the Horns in the regular season) but indicated that he would like to play them in a bowl (or playoff) game in the future.
It sounds like Charlie Strong is very open to the idea of playing A&M….
Strong on now-defunct #UT #TAMU series: “When there's been so much tradition there, you'd like to see it continue on."
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerCBS) March 8, 2014
One of the worst things about conference re-alignment is the loss of rivalries, such as Nebraska/Oklahoma and Pittsburgh/West Virginia. It would be great to see this rivalry re-ignited with Strong and Sumlin at the helm of these schools.
The "powers that be" are likely to keep this rivalry at bay for now but coaches like Strong and Sumlin yield a lot of power and if they want this to happen, it would be nice to see them put the pressure on the administrations so we can see this rivalry re-born. This should be a game that is played every year and one of these two teams not having true bragging rights in the state is a shame.
