Rivalries
Texas A&M has two active, long-time rivals, the LSU Tigers and the Arkansas Razorbacks. After playing LSU sporadically throughout the 20th Century, the LSU–Texas A&M Rivalry is the Aggies' seventh oldest, with the series dating back to 1899. Since Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012, fans anticipate LSU to become Texas A&M's primary rival. Texas A&M and Arkansas share a rich history, since both were members of the Southwest Conference, first playing each other in football in 1903. When Arkansas left the SWC in 1991, this rivalry was put on eighteen-year hiatus until the rivalry was reborn with the formation of the Southwest Classic in 2009.
Texas A&M's traditional rival was the Texas Longhorns. The university has had other significant rivals, but few came close to the rivalry shared between Texas A&M and the University of Texas. The mutual respect and desire to win gave rise to the Lone Star Showdown, an athletic competition that lasted year-round and encompassed all regular-season NCAA athletic events between the two schools. Though the showdown officially began in 2004, the two teams had been competing with one another for more than a century. The rivalry ended in 2012 when the Aggies moved to the Southeastern Conference.
Other historical rivalries that are no longer active include those from its membership in the Southwest Conference (Baylor, Texas Tech, Rice, the University of Houston, SMU, and TCU). Texas A&M competed against Texas, Texas Tech, and Baylor in the Big 12.
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