Those uninterested in college sports, folks who didn’t graduate from a university here in Texas, and even kiddos who are too young to attend any college at all are likely still at least a little bit familiar with the rivalry between UT and A&M. A historic, century-long competition between the two oldest public universities in Texas certainly has every right to be so iconic! Officially dubbed the Cotton Holdings Lonestar Showdown, it celebrates the pride and competitive spirit that the athletes from each institution bring to each game, and the investment of Texans everywhere into their community.
Over many changes in conferences and spanning across numerous sports, here’s a brief history of Texas’ Lonestar Showdown, brought to you by Moreland.
Although the rivalry officially started all the way back in 1894, the moniker “Lone Star Showdown” was trademarked in 1996, and picked up by State Farm as the official sponsor in 2004. Opening the door for more sports to be given the spotlight, the showdown had garnered a lot of attention.
With the numerous high schools in Texas building up their own teams in hopes of being recruited – from football, to volleyball, to swimming, everyone wanted a piece of the action.
Historically, there were a total of nineteen points that could be won across a multitude of sports matches between the two schools. Wins from football, soccer, swimming and diving, baseball, tennis, track and field, cross country, and golf would earn one point each for men’s and women’s divisions, and wins from basketball, softball, and volleyball would earn one half-point each for each division.
The winning school would be awarded a trophy for the current year, but it’s clear that the prestige, attention, (and, yes, playful bragging rights) were the real driving force behind the competitive spirit that seemed to live on throughout the decades.
Over the years, the two schools switched between numerous conferences together, always making sure to line up so that they could keep officially competing against one another in football – the sport that marked the beginning of their rivalry. These conferences included the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Southwest Conference, and Big 12 Conference.
However, in 2011, Texas A&M moved to the Southeastern Conference (the SEC), leaving UT behind in the Big 12. Even though the two schools still competed regularly in other, non-conference sports, the Lonestar Showdown was indefinitely halted for a time.
That’s why, in 2021, it was huge news when UT announced they would be officially joining the SEC by the 2025 academic year. As it turned out, they (along with another rival Oklahoma) had negotiated a $100 million early termination fee in order to leave the Big 12 early – it seems they were really eager to get back in the action.
With that, the Lone Star Showdown was back on for the 2024 football season. Backed by a three-year contract of sponsorship with Houston-based Cotton Holdings, it was decided that just like before the 10+ year hiatus, points would be awarded per win during the season, and the two schools would play for a trophy.
According to the UT athletic director Chris Del Conte, it had been so long that they had to quite literally hunt down the old trophy from the last showdown. Now proudly on display at their offices, it’s a symbol of that rekindled competitive spark that never truly left.
Trev Alberts, A&M’s own athletic director, said that the rivalry has the passion and opportunity to become one of the best rivalries that college football has to offer.
In the two years since the Showdown resumed, UT has taken both matches by 10-point leads – go Texas!
This season, it’s shaping up to be another exciting match, so don’t forget to mark 11/27 on your calendars. Tune in, or make the trip to Kyle Field in College Station – whether you’re a Longhorn or an Aggie, you won’t want to miss the 2026 edition of the Lone Star Showdown.
