Topline

The return of rival football teams Texas A&M and University of Texas for the first time in over a decade has fans lining up and opening their wallets to attend what is by far the most expensive college football game of all time.

Important facts

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What you should pay attention to

Kickoff for the game between the No. 3 Texas Longhorns and the No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST. The game will be shown on ABC.

Important background

The Longhorn and Aggies first played each other in 1894 and the rivalry raged every year from 1915 until 2011, when A&M left the Big 12 Conference to join the Southeastern Conference. The teams haven’t played since, but Texas joined the SEC this summer and resumed the so-called Lone Star Showdown. And even though it’s not on the holiday, the game between Texas A&M and UT is a return to Thanksgiving tradition. Of the 118 games the teams have played against each other in their history, 64 games have been on Thanksgiving Day.

tangent

Texas A&M, which is hosting the game, has planned a full weekend of activities focused solely on the showdown. A “Ruck Across the Brazos” begins Friday, with people from both schools transporting a single soccer ball from Austin to Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, also across the Brazos River. A “yell drill” — A&M does not have a cheerleading team, instead a team of “yell leaders” teaches students chants the night before home games — will be moved from the traditional midnight start time to 5:30 p.m. Friday evening Before the game, a concert with Pat Green and the Randy Rodgers Band, both Texas classics, begins at 8 p.m. There will be a BBQ cook-off at Kyle Field prior to kickoff and a pregame parade featuring the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, the Parsons Mounted Cavalry and the school mascot, Reveille, a rough collie.

Big number

76. That’s how many times the Longhorns have beaten the Aggies in the history of the rivalry. The all-time series record belongs to the University of Texas: 76-37-5.

Further reading

ForbesNFL and college football games on Thanksgiving weekend 2024From Michelle BrutonForbesGasoline prices fall to lowest average per gallon since 2021 – ahead of Thanksgiving travelFrom Molly BohannonForbesThere could be a healthy Thanksgiving in the US – but Covid and RSV could surge before Christmas, CDC warnsFrom Mary Whitfill RoeloffsForbesThanksgiving air travel hits record high as travel finally returns to pre-pandemic levelsFrom Mary Whitfill Roeloffs