Mike Elko in favor of playing rival Texas annually in the SEC: 'We should play them'

Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC next season in what represents two of the most exciting conference realignment moves of the offseason ahead of a highly anticipated 2024 football season. With numerous new and exciting inter-conference matchups debuting across the country next season.

But with the Longhorns joining the SEC, one of college football’s past rivalries is now renewed, as Texas and Texas A&M can face off once again just like they did when both teams were in the Big 12.

The Aggies have a new leader at the helm with Mike Elko named as the new head coach this offseason. And at SEC Spring Meetings, he shared his feelings about Texas joining the SEC and potentially facing off against the Longhorns annually moving forward.

“We should play them,” Elko said according to Brett McMurphy. “When you have two programs like that in [the] same state two hours away they should play every year and it should mean a lot.”

The new SEC schedule has been set for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, featuring a home-and-home between the Aggies and the Longhorns that starts with a matchup in College Station this year in a highly anticipated Week 14 rivalry game to close out the regular season. A tradition that fans on both sides would likely love to see upheld moving forward in the new look SEC.

Texas and Texas A&M have not faced off since 2011 before the Aggies left the Big 12 Conference to join the SEC. Now rekindling the Lone Star Showdown rivalry that dates back to 1894 and features 118 all-time matchups between the two programs.

In their last rivalry matchup, Texas kicker Justin Tucker hit a 40-yard field goal with time expiring to help the Longhorns pull out a 27-25 win over Texas A&M. But when they meet this season things will be drastically different between the two programs, as Elko will look to hit the ground running and generate wins in his first season in College Station while Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian joins the SEC with a Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff appearance under his belt from last season.

“I think people just forgot how much fun it really is,”  Inside Texas‘ Joe Cook said regarding the rivalry. “I mean that is a game that you think about the Egg Bowl in Mississippi and just how that whole state comes together for that game and you think of other in-state rivalries where similar happens. Texas hasn’t had that. And it’s not to diminish playing Texas Tech, playing Baylor, and playing TCU, of course Southwest Conference rivals. But they aren’t Texas A&M, that’s been Texas’ main in-state rival and they haven’t been able to play.”