Texas and Texas A&M renew rivalry with new sponsor

With the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies now in the same conference, a classic college rivalry will renew every year. The first matchup between these two programs on the football field as SEC teams will come on Nov.30 at Kyle Field. When the series returns after a 13-year hiatus, there will be a new sponsor in Cotton Holdings, Inc.

The series, called “Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown,” will include 19 different sports. For sports in which there is no head-to-head competition, points will be awarded based on which team finishes higher in the respective NCAA Championships’ final standings. Both schools are excited about bringing back the rivalry.

“Rekindling our historic rivalry with Texas A&M and bringing that back for not only our fans but fans of college sports across our great state, the country, and the world, is so special. And we’re so grateful our friends at Cotton Holdings are on board to help amplify that with the Lone Star Showdown rivalry series. I know our fans are going to follow the standings closely,” said Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte in a news release.

While football has gotten the majority of the spotlight, the first installment of this new-look series will include the schools’ volleyball programs on Sept. 27. Cotton Holdings will also contribute annually to both universities’ respective NIL activation funds.

As the rivalry renews, the Aggies will be looking for revenge. The last time these programs faced off on the gridiron, Justin Tucker’s 40-yard field goal was the difference in a 27-25 Longhorns win.