Couldn't disagree more with the 2/118 comment.lose in '69 and Penn State plays ND for the NC. Lose in '77 and we don't play ND for it. That we lost is irrelevant.
Win in '79 we're in the Sugar not the Sun. There are plenty of other examples.
In 1969, A&M went 3-7 and we beat them 49-12. Beating A&M that year was no different than beating anyone else on our schedule. So, yes, we had to beat them in that we had to beat every team on our schedule.
In 1977, A&M finished unranked at 8-4. Yes, they were a tougher opponent, and this is one of the few games were both UT and A&M were ranked, but ultimately that A&M team was not special.
Why the rivalry pales in comparison to OU or Arkansas is there is rarely anything on the line other than bragging rights. That was my point with saying it has generally not mattered to the national picture other than UT could be upset (which is true for any game on UT's schedule).
UT and A&M played 12 times since 2000. Only twice (2000 and 2004) were both teams ranked. 2000 was a blowout. 2004 was closer but UT still won by 12+ points.
Years in which both UT and A&M were ranked in at least one poll when they played: 1941, 1943, 1957, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1985, 1990, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2004.
The AP poll started in 1936. UT and A&M played 76 times from 1936-2011. So in 76 meetings, both teams were ranked 12 times. That is 16% of the time or less than 1 out of every 6 games. UT is 9-3 against A&M in those 12 games. Only 3 games (1957, 1990 and 1999) were decided by one score or less. UT beat A&M by more than one score in 7 of UT's 9 wins.
By comparison, since 2000 alone, UT and OU have both been ranked 14 times out of 20 games or 70% of the time.
UT and A&M have only had five top 15 matchups (1941, 1957, 1975, 1977 and 1995). Since 2000, UT and OU have had nine top 15 matchups.
UT and A&M have only had two top 5 matchups ever (1941 and 1975). UT-OU have had four top 5 matchups since 2000. Congratulations, unless you are at least 43 years old, A&M-UT has not been a top 5 matchup in your lifetime. Even better, you have to be at least 77 years old to have lived through such an occurrence twice.
Also, since 1936, UT and Arkansas have both been ranked when they have played each other 20 times out of 61 matchups. 33% of the time is still double the percentage of the time UT and A&M play while both ranked. UT is 14-6 against Arkansas in these matchups which is still pretty dominant, but 11 out of the 20 games were decided by one score or loss aka 55% of the time as opposed to 25% of the time with UT-A&M.
At no point in Big 12 history did UT and A&M meet where they were both playing for the Big 12 or even the Big 12 South.
Years in which the UT-A&M game affected both team's chances of winning the SWC: 1919, 1920, 1921, 1925, 1943, 1975, 1977, 1985, 1987, 1993, 1995.
That is 11 times in 81 years of SWC football. At no point in A&M's 16 years in the Big 12 did UT and A&M meet with the Big 12 South or Conference on the line for both teams, so that is means only 11 times in 97 did UT and A&M meet with the conference on the line for both teams. That's 11% of the time and only 6 out of 11 occurring since world war 2 with a 32 year gap from 1943-1975 and a 16 year gap from 1996-2011.
In short, UT-A&M is a second rate rivalry because it was rarely ever a big game. Only 11% of the time was the conference title on the line for both teams and 16% of the time were both teams ranked. People bring up 1995, because it was one of the rare big games. As I said earlier, being the last game is the only reason the 2011 game was relevant. I would have a different attitude if more games like 1995 occurred, but the fact is they did not.
Only in 1975, 1977 and 1995 were both the conference on the line and both teams ranked in the top 15. My "only two big games in 118 meetings" statement is not that far off.
Finding the open door at a Walmart at 1 in the morning can be difficult.
