| First meeting | October 27, 1927 Texas A&M 47, Texas Tech 6 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | October 8, 2011 Texas A&M 45, Texas Tech 40 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 70 |
| All-time series | Texas A&M leads, 37–32–1[1] |
| Largest victory | 1. Texas A&M, 47–6 (1927) 2. Texas Tech, 56–17 (2005) |
| Longest win streak | Texas A&M, 6 (1927–1945) Texas Tech, 6 (1968–1973) |
| Current win streak | Texas A&M, 3 (2009–present) |
TheTexas A&M–Texas Tech football rivalry is an Americancollege footballrivalry[citation needed] between theTexas A&M Aggies football team ofTexas A&M University andTexas Tech Red Raiders football team ofTexas Tech University. The series began in 1927. The rivalry had continued uninterrupted since 1957 when the two schools became conference rivals.[a] Texas A&M leads the series 37–32–1. Texas A&M started the series with a 12–3 advantage while the two teams played each other as non-conference opponents from 1927 to 1955. Texas Tech led with a 2–1 record during its probationary membership in theSouthwest Conference from 1957 to 1959. Texas A&M led the series during the Southwest Conference years (1960–95) with an 18–17–1 record. Texas Tech led the series during theBig 12 Conference years (1996–2011) with a 10–6 record. In summary, Texas A&M dominated the series during the early years (1927–1955) with a 12–3 advantage, while Texas Tech leads the series in the modern era (1957–2011) with a 29–25–1 advantage. Both teams are tied with six games each for the longest winning streak. Texas Tech holds the longest uninterrupted winning streak of the series, six games between 1968 and 1973, while Texas A&M has the longest nonconsecutive winning streak, six games in 1927, 1932 and 1942 through 1945. Texas A&M currently holds a three-game winning streak but with their departure from the Big 12 Conference in 2012, it is uncertain if the rivalry will continue in the future.
When both Texas A&M and Texas Tech were members of the Southwest Conference (SWC) from 1960 to 1995, and the Big 12 Conference from 1996 to 2011, the match-up was exclusively a home-and-home series in College Station and Lubbock. In all, 29 games were played inLubbock and 28 inCollege Station. Both teams held a 3-game home field advantage as the Red Raiders record was 16–13 in Lubbock while the Aggies record in College Station was 15–12–1.
Prior to Texas Tech joining the SWC for football in 1960, 13 games of the rivalry were held at a neutral site inAmarillo,Dallas, andSan Antonio. Only one game was held in Amarillo, a 7–0 Texas A&M victory in 1932. From 1943 to 1950, the series was held at second neutral site,Alamo Stadium inSan Antonio. Texas A&M held a 6–2 record over Texas Tech at Alamo Stadium. The 1951, 1955, 1958, and 1959 games were held at theCotton Bowl inDallas and the series atFair Park was split 2–2. In the early 2000s, an effort was made to move the series back to the Cotton Bowl during theState Fair of Texas but ultimately the rivalry game remained a home-and-home series.
One of the most well-known landmarks on thecampus of Texas Tech University is the statue ofWill Rogers on his horse Soapsuds:Riding Into the Sunset. Acampus legend holds that the statue was originally intended to be positioned with Will Rogers facing due west, so that it would appear he was riding into the sunset. However, that position would cause Soapsuds' posterior to face due east, towards downtownLubbock, Texas, potentially insulting the Lubbock business community. To address this issue, the statue was turned 23degrees to the east, causing Soapsuds' rear to face in the direction of thecampus of Texas A&M University inCollege Station, Texas.[2]
The campus legend led toRiding Into the Sunset becoming involved in the rivalry off the field. In 1969, the statue was vandalized after being covered in maroon paint, Texas A&M's primary color, after the Aggies lost to the Red Raiders 13–9.[3] Following the vandalism in 1969, theSaddle Tramps, a Texas Tech student organization, wrap the statue in red crepe paper prior to every home football game.[4]
| Texas A&M victories | Texas Tech victories | Tie games |
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