Cotton Bowl may revive UT-A&M rivalry

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Cotton Bowl president and chief executive officer Rick Baker already was salivating about the box office appeal of a Texas-Texas A&M matchup even before the Aggies officially left for the Southeastern Conference.

"I think we'd have to have two or three stadiums worth of seats for all of the demand," Baker told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram last November only a few minutes after Justin Tucker's game-winning kick appeared to end the storied 118-game rivalry.

So you can imagine the unbridled excitement across the state if the two old rivals hooked up once more with feeling at Jerry World in Arlington on Jan. 4.

One of the bitterest rivalries in college football appeared to have ended when the Aggies left for greener pastures in the SEC. The Longhorn Network was the biggest obstacle that pushed them apart.

Before they split, Tucker drilled a 40-yard field goal as time expired in their final game last season. It gave the Longhorns a 76-37-5 edge in the series, although the Aggies like to tell you they are 15-13 against UT since 1984.

Tucker's kick is still a moment cursed by Aggies everywhere. The play receives as big a reaction when shown on the Longhorns' Godzillatron scoreboard at UT games before Vince Young's BCS title-winning touchdown or any of Ricky Williams' jaunts to a Heisman Trophy.

Tough finale for Aggies

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A&M fans hated to see the rivalry end like that. Playing again in the Cotton Bowl would be an intriguing litmus test for the new and improved Aggies with Kevin Sumlin and Johnny Manziel.

Truthfully, all of the bowl games outside the Bowl Championship Series title game struggle for much spectator appeal.

But a chance to match two tradition-steeped rivals in a game that appeared impossible to imagine so soon would be spectator and television ratings gold. It would be the Cotton Bowl's biggest box-office hit since Craig Curry was fumbling punts when the Longhorns were playing for national championships back in the early 1980s.

The chances of putting together the game were improved by the strong performances by the Aggies in their convincing 38-13 victory at Mississippi State and by the Longhorns' 31-22 triumph at Texas Tech.

But two late games Saturday night made the chances even better. Alabama's dramatic comeback victory at LSU and San Diego State's triumph at Boise State tipped a few more dominoes, pushing the Aggies and Longhorns closer to playing again.

Shake-ups in standings

The Broncos' loss against the Aztecs was only their fourth defeat in 82 home games since 2000. Their second loss of the season likely leaves them out of BCS at-large contention and opened a spot for another at-large team from a power conference.

With Notre Dame likely accounting for one at-large spot, it would leave three at-large positions that likely would be picked by second-choice teams from the SEC, Pac-12 and Big 12.

If things fall right, it's not a stretch that we could see the Aggies and Longhorns together again.

It will be interesting to see if back-room politicking would help the game together or keep the Longhorns and Aggies apart - for now.

And if it doesn't happen this season, it could happen eventually.

No wonder Baker was so excited.

tgriffin@express-news.net