Texas vs Texas A&M: Rivalry, Academics & Traditions

Few college football feuds pack as much history, pride, and pure Texas energy as the one between the Longhorns and the Aggies. After a decade-long pause, the rivalry roared back to life in 2024—and the 2025 showdown in Austin only added more drama, setting the stage for this comparison of academics, traditions, and head-to-head record.

All-time series (football): Texas leads 78–37–5 ·
Most recent game (2025): Texas 27, Texas A&M 17 ·
Year rivalry resumed: 2024 ·
UT Austin enrollment: ~51,000 ·
Texas A&M enrollment: ~77,000 ·
Claimed national championships: Texas 4, Texas A&M 3

Six key facts capture the institutional contrast between these two Texas giants.

What’s the difference between Texas and Texas A&M?

Academic rankings and prestige

• UT Austin ranks #32 nationally in U.S. News & World Report (2024) — the state’s flagship public university with the highest research activity (U.S. News (university rankings)).
• Texas A&M ranks #67 in the same publication, though it excels in engineering and agriculture (U.S. News (university rankings)).
• UT Austin claims more Nobel laureates among its faculty and alumni than any other Texas public university (UT Austin official site).

Enrollment and campus size

Texas A&M’s College Station campus enrolls roughly 77,000 students, making it one of the largest universities in the nation. UT Austin’s flagship campus in downtown Austin serves about 51,000. The size difference shapes campus culture: A&M’s Corps of Cadets and tight-knit traditions foster a more uniform identity, while UT’s urban setting attracts a more eclectic student body.

Traditions and culture

• UT is known for “The Eyes of Texas,” “Texas Fight,” and the Longhorn Band — steeped in university pride and state symbolism.
• A&M’s traditions include the Aggie Ring, Muster, Midnight Yell, and Aggie Bonfire — rituals that emphasize loyalty and camaraderie (Aggie Network (tradition archive)).
• The “Aggie Kiss” — players kissing a fellow student after a touchdown — dates to the early 1900s and symbolizes the Corps’ bond (KSAT (local coverage)).

The implication: UT’s traditions are pageantry-driven; A&M’s are ritual-driven. One rewards spectacle, the other belonging.

The pattern: UT and A&M offer distinct identities that shape student experience differently.

Is Texas A&M better than Texas Longhorns?

Head-to-head football record

• Texas leads the all-time series 78–37–5, and Texas A&M’s strongest stretch came in the late 1980s when the Aggies won 10 of 11 meetings from 1984 to 1991 (DIRECTV Insider (sports data)).

Recent game analysis (2025)

On November 28, 2025, Texas defeated No. 3 Texas A&M 27–17 in Austin. The win extended UT’s momentum in the resumed rivalry and kept the Longhorns in playoff contention (ESPN (college football coverage)).

Which university has more national championships?

Texas claims four national championships in football (1963, 1969, 1970, 2005); Texas A&M claims three (1919, 1927, 1939). Both sets of titles were earned in different eras and with different selection methods, but the raw count favors UT.

The pattern: While Texas holds the historical edge, the future parity depends on recruiting.

Who is Texas Longhorns’ biggest rival?

The Texas–Texas A&M rivalry

For many older fans and alumni, the Texas–Texas A&M game is the rivalry that defines a season. The series began in 1894 and ran annually from 1915 to 2011 before conference realignment ended it. When both schools joined the SEC, the rivalry was revived in 2024 (ESPN (college football coverage)).

Other rivals: Oklahoma (Red River Rivalry)

The Red River Rivalry with Oklahoma — played annually at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas — is widely considered UT’s most intense current rivalry. It carries historical weight, national implications, and the unique neutral-site atmosphere. Texas A&M is a close second in importance.

Why the rivalry is significant

The Longhorn–Aggie feud is more than football: it reflects an in-state cultural divide between Austin’s liberal urbanite identity and College Station’s military-rooted, conservative spirit. The resumption in 2024 reignited that deeper contest.

The catch: For a modern recruit or fan, Oklahoma is the bigger game for playoff hopes, but Texas A&M remains the deeper emotional rival — a sibling rivalry that never really went away.

The catch: The rivalry’s emotional weight may outlast its current competitive balance.

Why do Aggies kiss when they score?

The tradition of ‘Aggie Kisses’

After every Texas A&M touchdown, it’s common to see an Aggie player run to the stands, find a fellow student, and kiss that person on the cheek or lips. The gesture — called an “Aggie Kiss” — has been a staple of A&M football for over a century (KSAT (local coverage)).

Origin and meaning

The tradition dates to the early 1900s, when the student body was all-male and Corps of Cadets members would kiss a fellow cadet in the stands to celebrate. Today it symbolizes the bond between the team and the student body — a uniquely Aggie expression of unity.

Other unique traditions

• Aggie Bonfire (1907) — originally built to celebrate a football victory, later became a school-wide annual event (Aggie Network (tradition archive)).
• Midnight Yell — a pep rally held the night before home games, where the entire student body practices cheers and “yells” led by senior yell leaders.
• Gig ‘Em — the official hand sign, invented during a 1922 pep rally.

The trade-off: These traditions create an unmatched sense of belonging, but they can feel insular to outsiders. For a prospective student, A&M’s rituals are a selling point if you want a community that wraps its arms around you; UT offers a more diverse urban experience with less prescribed ritual.

The trade-off: Rituals create community but may feel exclusive.

What is the #1 university in Texas?

Current rankings of Texas universities

• U.S. News & World Report (2024 undergraduate ranking): Rice University #1 (tied for #17 nationally), UT Austin #32, Texas A&M #67.
• For public universities in Texas, UT Austin is the clear flagship.
• Texas A&M ranks #2 nationally in undergraduate engineering (U.S. News), and its graduate engineering program is also top-tier.

Is Texas A&M or UT Austin considered #1?

Among the two public giants, UT Austin is the higher-ranked overall university and is generally considered the state’s flagship (the “Harvard of Texas” is a nickname often applied to Rice, not either public school). Texas A&M argues that its engineering and agricultural preeminence make it the #1 choice for students in those fields.

Rice University as contender

Rice University in Houston is a private research university that tops every state ranking by undergraduate selectivity, endowment per student, and post-graduation salaries. But it’s small (~4,000 undergrads) and lacks the big-time athletics footprint of UT or A&M.

The pattern: “Best university” depends on the yardstick. For research output and brand recognition, UT Austin leads. For undergraduate teaching and selectivity, Rice wins. For value in engineering and agriculture, Texas A&M is hard to beat.

Six facts, one pattern: both schools outperform their national rank when you factor in Texas’s low in-state tuition and massive alumni networks.

Voices from the rivalry

“The intensity level of this game is unmatched. It’s special for the state, for the conference, for college football.”

— Steve Sarkisian, UT head coach, after the 2025 win

“Our guys fought. It didn’t go our way, but this rivalry means a lot to this program and this university. We’ll be back.”

— Mike Elko, Texas A&M head coach, postgame 2025

“The Texas–Texas A&M rivalry is one of the oldest and most storied in college football, tracing its roots to 1894 and producing legendary games, famous pranks, and a passionate split of the state.”

— Adapted from Sports Illustrated (rivalry history)

The upshot: The rivalry isn’t just about trophies; it’s about identity. For the four‑ and five‑star recruits who will decide between these two programs in the next cycle, the choice often comes down to which identity they want to wear. Pick UT for the urban spotlight and national brand. Pick A&M for the brotherhood and engineering prestige. Either way, the Lone Star Showdown ensures that every season means something bigger than wins and losses.

For a deeper dive into how these traditions shape game day, see Texas A&Ms football history and traditions.

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