Steve Sarkisian thrilled with rekindling of Texas A&M rivalry that 'divides households'

College football realignment has often been blamed for the destruction of many long-time rivalries, but there’s at least one school that figures to be a big beneficiary in that sense: Texas.

The Longhorns’ move to the SEC will reunite them with access to games like Arkansas and Texas A&M on a much more regular basis.

Both are big games, though obviously the Texas A&M rivalry stands head and shoulders above the rest for Texas. That one will be highly anticipated by college football fans broadly, not just the two programs involved.

“Well it’s a great game. It’s a game that, like I said, divides households and one that, it’s interesting,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said at SEC Media Days. “Our players, I listen to our players talk sometimes, and they’re like, our players are probably way more excited for this game than most fans would probably think because we haven’t played the game in a while.”

The two programs haven’t met since 2011, the year before Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC. It took Texas a decade and change, but now the Longhorns have joined the SEC as well.

Despite the big divide between the two programs over the last decade due to conference affiliations, the players themselves have never quite felt the separation.

“The majority of the players on our two rosters probably went on visits together at, if not one school, both schools,” Sarkisian explained. “And one guy chose Texas and one guy chose A&M. So I think there’s a great deal of excitement.”

Old high school teammates will reunite in a friendly rivalry. Old rivals will also spar. It’s the kind of setup that makes for a fantastic showdown, the likes of which appear all over the SEC.

Alabama–Auburn. Mississippi State–Ole Miss. Now Texas-Texas A&M.

It has a chance to be among the fiercest in the conference if past history is any indication. That history, by the way, favors Sarkisian’s Longhorns. They have a 76-37-5 edge in the series currently.

The Aggies will be gunning for them, though, and Sarkisian knows it.

“I know coach (Mike) Elko‘s done a great job in that program in a short time being there,” Sarkisian said. “It’s going to be a great environment in Kyle Field on Thanksgiving weekend, so we’re definitely looking forward to it.”