The historic Lone Star Showdown is renewed as No. 3 Texas plays host to No. 20 Texas A&M in a de facto play-in contest for the SEC Championship game. The Longhorns are cruising in their first year as an SEC member and sit in sole possession of first place in the conference, already achieving back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time since 2009.
Texas A&M is in the midst of a resurgence under first-year coach Mike Elko. The Aggies are contending for a spot in the SEC Championship Game after beating LSU and Missouri. However, a 43-41 quadruple-overtime loss to Auburn last week narrowed their path, making this a must-win matchup.
The Longhorns and Aggies have played 118 times and Texas holds a dominant 76-37-5 advantage. The last time these teams played, the Longhorns mustered only 237 yards but outlasted Texas A&M 27-25 in 2011. This one carries much bigger stakes. The winner will play in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia and have a shot to win their first SEC titles.
Texas vs. Texas A&M: Need to know
History reignites: The last time these two teams met was in 2011, the final matchup between these two schools as Big 12 members. Justin Tucker’s game-winning field goal went down in history as the rivalry sat dormant for 13 years. Surprisingly, these two teams have rarely been good at the same time. The last time both teams were ranked coming into the matchup was 2004. On paper, this is the highest-ranked matchup since No. 1 Texas traveled to No. 12 Texas A&M in 1977. The energy will be off the charts.
Strength on weakness: Texas is good nearly everywhere on defense, but the Longhrns have been a little more lenient on the ground — ranking middle of the pack in the SEC in yards per carry. While Texas A&M isn’t super efficient running the ball, they love to lean on it. The Aggies trail only Tennessee in rushing offense and yards per carry at 4.96, and are actually the best in SEC play alone. Expect offensive coordinator Collin Klein to stress test the interior of the Texas defensive line repeatedly.
A tale of two QBs: Quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Marcel Reed couldn’t be much more different. Ewers was a former No. 1 recruit who is in his third year as a starter. Reed was a mid-four star who was thrust into action as a former backup. Still, both bring some clear strengths and weaknesses. Ewers has been inconsistent with his long ball and is dealing with a nagging ankle injury. Reed is still developing as a passer, and his poor first half doomed Texas A&M against Auburn. Whichever signal-caller is more consistent will be in great shape to win the game.
How to watch Texas vs. Texas A&M live
Date: Saturday, Nov. 30 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Kyle Field — College Station, Texas
TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Texas vs. Texas A&M prediction, picks
Texas is the better team, they will contend for a national title and have more players picked in the NFL Draft. The Aggies are still searching for identity under first-year coach Mike Elko and need quarterback Marcel Reed to develop quickly. And yet, there’s truly no telling what will happen in the renewal of this historic rivalry game. Texas got the last one at the buzzer, and it could easily go a similar direction this time. Regardless, the betting line is simply too large heading into what should be one of the most hyped games in the history of both programs. Pick: Texas A&M +5.5
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