There's no doubt that football in Texas is big, and now a state lawmaker wants to make at least one rivalry a legislative priority.
State Rep. Ryan Guillen, D-Rio Grande City[and A&M grad], introduced a bill Monday that would require the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University to revive their long-standing rivalry by meeting each year on the football field for a nonconference, regular season game.
House Bill 778, as filed, does not specify when the game should occur. That decision, the lawmaker's spokeswoman said, should be left up to the Longhorns and Aggies.
"We would leave that (schedule) open to the schools," said Rebecca Erickson, communications director at Guillen's Office.
The decision to file the controversial bill was not hard to make, according to the legislator.
"This game is as much a Texas tradition as cowboy boots and barbecue," Guillen stated in a press release. "The purpose of this bill is to put the eyes of Texas upon our two greatest state universities to restore this sacred Texas tradition. I think the people of Texas want a game, and we're trying to get them one."
Guillen is a Texas A&M graduate.
Should the bill pass, which seems highly unlikely, the school that refused to participate would face restrictions on its athletic scholarships.
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