For now, though, the guard at Texas A&M is changing, and the battle lines have been drawn, so to speak.
New Aggies athletic director made his thoughts clear on the future of the rivalry with Texas.
In an interview with the Bryan-College Station Eagle, Hyman broached how his strategy at South Carolina compared to what he'll do at Texas A&M.
Hyman said it’s too soon to talk about what A&M’s nonconference football scheduling philosophy should be, but added, “First of all, you have to take the SEC.”
At South Carolina, he wanted to play a regional team from the pool of North Carolina State, North Carolina, Virginia or Duke; an instate Football Championship Subdivision team; a lower-tier FBS opponent at home; and the rivalry game against Clemson.
“Across the board, we tried to be balanced,” Hyman said.
He would become a hero if he could get the series with Texas resumed.
“If that’s the right thing to do, then we’ll try to do that,” he said.
Let me help you out: It's the right thing to do.
For now, the ball is in Texas' court. The Longhorns are the ones stonewalling this rivalry right now, but they're also the ones who made it clear that the price of Texas A&M leaving for the SEC would be the state's greatest football rivalry at any level.
The Aggies left anyway. Texas made its stance clear. So did Texas A&M.
The fans of both teams -- and college football -- lost. The sooner that changes, the better.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
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Play Podcast Kirk Herbstreit joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Bob Stoops' recent comments about the SEC and the pending college football playoff, what appears to be an unpredictable Big 12 in 2013, how the Aggies will handle expectations and more.
Play Podcast Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin talks about the improvements being made to Kyle Field, what those improvements will to for the program, the success of last year, Johnny Manziel's offseason and the expectations for the Aggies in 2013.
Play Podcast Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo talk about Texas A&M's decision to expand its stadium and say although the Aggies had a fantastic year, the school must also be careful not to overextend its resources based on a single hot stretch.
Play Podcast Baylor head coach Art Briles joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss what kind of player the Cowboys are getting in Terrance Williams.
Play Podcast Arlington and Texas A&M product Luke Joeckel, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, joins Ian Fitzsimmons and Richard Durrett to discuss the draft, coaches and advice from his dad.
Play Podcast Florida Gulf Coast athletic director Ken Kavanagh joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss his school's Cinderella story and playing in the Sweet 16 at Cowboys Stadium.
Play Podcast Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby joins Fizsimmons & Durrett to discuss Cowboys Stadium as a venue, the state of Big 12 basketball, the new 2014 college football format, why there's no hurry to have a Big 12 football championship and much more.
Play Podcast Jay Bilas joins Fitzsimmons and Durrett to discuss the remaining 16 teams in the NCAA tournament, the intrigue surrounding the Northwest Region and the excitement over FGCU, even though a similar story happens every year.
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