Texas lawmaker authors bill requiring Texas, Texas A&M to play

A Texas lawmaker is doing his part to restart the state’s biggest dormant football rivalry.

On Tuesday, Texas House of Representatives member Lyle Larson filed a bill for the 86th Legislature that mandates an annual November game between Texas and Texas A&M as early as the 2020 season.

According to the document from the San Antonio-based lawmaker, the bill calls for both teams to play nonconference game each year during the regular season. If the bill is enacted and either school refuses to play each other, the legislation calls to withhold funds for football scholarships for that particular school.

A&M and Texas have not played each other in football since the Aggies left the Big 12 Conference for the SEC before the 2012 season. Before that, the two teams played annually from 1915 to 2011.

A similar bill was filed in 2013, the first legislative session after A&M switched conferences. That one never made it out of its respective committee.

Per Larson’s bio, the Republican and representative of House District 122 graduated from A&M in 1981. In 2013, he co-authored a bill congratulating former A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel on winning the 2012 Heisman Trophy, which goes to the top player in college football that season.

That bill was signed by former Texas governor Rick Perry, who is also an A&M alumnus. Larson has filed two other bills for the upcoming legislature — one relates to the emergency cutoff switch on a motorboat, the other amending government code to except the state from daylight savings time.

Even if Larson’s bill somehow passes, other roadblocks exist. A&M and Texas have game contracts with other schools for the next several years.

The punishment also may be hard to enforce. A&M and Texas do not use state funds for its respective athletic programs.