Texas Tech and Baylor have discontinued their football series at AT&T Stadium.

Texas A&M and Arkansas may be looking at the same decision when their current contract expires in 2024, based on comments last week by Aggies athletic director Ross Bjork about a strong preference for conference games on campus. The two teams meet Saturday at AT&T as they have since 2014.

So has the attraction of the star at AT&T Stadium dimmed some for college games since Oklahoma and BYU opened things to start the 2009 season? Not quite.

AT&T Stadium will host four college games this season from the AdvoCare Classic to the Cotton Bowl Classic, with A&M-Arkansas and the Big 12 championship game in-between. That's about average, but down from six last season, which included Ohio State-TCU.

Missing will be Tech and Baylor, which will be playing in Waco this season as part of a return to campus sites.

"I think there's something when it comes to conference games, playing them on your home campuses," Baylor AD Mack Rhoades said. "Playing Texas Tech in Dallas, that was done for all the right reasons, but I think most people would agree that it kind of lost its shine. It was time to bring it back to our campuses.

"I think better of playing the one-offs, the nonconference games, at a neutral site. I don't know that Baylor is looking specifically to doing that year-in, year-out but we're more open to playing nonconference at a neutral site."

In fact, Baylor is scheduled to open next season at Houston's NRG Stadium in a nonconference game with Ole Miss, one that was in the planning for about three years.

The national trend seems to support the decision by Tech and Baylor and Bjork's position.

This season, there are 15 FBS games at neutral sites (as compiled by SB Nation) but only three are conference games.

Besides A&M-Arkansas, there are two of the most entrenched rivalry games in college football: the Red River Showdown in Dallas featuring Texas-Oklahoma as well as Florida-Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla., the event with the politically incorrect unofficial nickname of the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

The rest are nonleague games at NFL stadiums or other urban facilities like Orlando's Camping World Stadium.

Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt called AT&T Stadium "the Taj Mahal" of football facilities but said circumstance and timing led to the decision to abandon the series at AT&T Stadium. The game had been played on a Thanksgiving weekend when Tech students were gone from campus, many in the Dallas area. When the game was moved off its traditional date, "that circumstance led us to bring it up to a home-and-home and then revisit it based on what Baylor wants to do." Hocutt said.

At the same time, he acknowledged the local venues want as many home games as possible.

The Cowboys could even face competition in the near future. The Rangers are looking to maximize revenue in their new stadium and haven't ruled anything out from a college football standpoint.

Hocutt said the Rangers have discussed their plans on a general basis with Tech although nothing is imminent. He also remains in contact with Cowboys executive Chad Estis as well as Houston's NRG Stadium for opportunities.

"Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston continue to be important markets when you look at alumni and recruiting bases," Hocutt said. "We can't get enough exposure in D-FW and Houston and so we'll always entertain a chance to play."

At the same time, AT&T Stadium has the advantage of the Cowboys brand and a long-standing working relationship with ESPN to bring top college games there.

It will be hosting the revived Big 12 title game for the third time as a part of a five-year contract and the conference doesn't seem likely to head elsewhere especially after drawing 83,114.

"We hold our partnership with the Cowboys and AT&T Stadium in very high regard," Big 12 spokesman Bob Burda said, "and have been more than satisfied with the presentation of our championship game through the first two years of our five-year contract."

The AdvoCare Classic traditionally features one of the best opening weekend matchups, thanks to generous payouts similar to what teams would receive from a bowl game. Auburn and Oregon this year each received a reported $3.5 million.

Next year's AdvoCare Classic is already set with Alabama facing USC, which could be intriguing depending on what happens with the Southern Cal coaching job.

"When you think about AT&T and think about the Dallas Cowboys and Mr. [Jerry] Jones and the Jones family, that's as good as it gets. It's elite and a great facility and certainly our student-athletes were excited to play there," Rhoades said.

"I just think the [Tech-Baylor] game lost its luster. Sometimes the time is right. You feel it in your gut."

Yes, AT&T Stadium still has an allure, even for A&M players and coaches. Bjork acknowledged the importance of the D-FW market and the former student base for A&M.

"I love playing in JerryWorld being able to be right there in my backyard where all my family and friends can come watch me play," said A&M linebacker Anthony Hines III, a Plano East product. "It's definitely a unique opportunity I enjoy every year."

A&M's Jimbo Fisher also is a fan, although his perspective is as a coach and not an administrator like Bjork or like Aggies fans who have to make the three-hour drive.

Potential recruiting inroads into Dallas is one advantage.

"I think it's a great venue to play in," Fisher said. "You're in an area where a lot of our players come from. It's great for their families to have access to come there. In recruiting, it's easier for recruits to get to a game. They can come up there and see us."

For elite power conference teams with high goals, Fisher sees a possible edge, with the College Football Playoff and other high-profile bowls.

"Sometimes learning to play in neutral site venues is good for your program," Fisher said, "because of different scenarios that will occur hopefully in your future."

Twitter: @ChuckCarltonDMN