Texas and Texas A&M Need Each Other Now More than Ever

Ever since Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC, the Aggies and fellow Lone Star State power Texas have waged a passive-aggressive internet battle for supremacy. Both the Aggies and Longhorns have too much pride to actually agree to terms on a game, so they stick to calling each other cupcakes. The petty insults have gotten so ridiculous that a Texas state representative tried to pass a law that would have required the two teams to play a game.

Most of the back-and-forth between the two universities is just fun rivalry banter, and both schools' head coaches are on record that they would like to play each other at some point. But now that Texas A&M has left for the SEC, both schools like to claim that they are the dominant program in Texas. They're scared to play, because then one of them wouldn't have a stake to that claim.

But here's the problem: neither team is close to being the best in its state. While Texas and Texas A&M have been busy trading barbs, they've been eclipsed as the real best teams in Texas. Neither team has been the highest-ranked team in the state since 2012, according to the AP poll; this year, the Aggies and Longhorns are expected to be the fourth and fifth best teams in the state, behind TCU, Baylor, and even Houston.

That makes 2016 a critical year for these rivals, who have been so busy bickering with each other that they've ignored their own institutional problems that have had them underachieving for years. One more lackluster year, and both coaches—Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin and Texas' Charlie Strong—could be on the hottest seats in America, or they could be fired.

There's good and bad news for both teams on that front: both teams should be improved this year, but it may not be enough for you to notice. Texas A&M might be the program in worse shape, despite the fact that Texas didn't even make a bowl game last year. The Aggies lost two former top-tier quarterback recruits over the offseason, plus a current five-star recruit, meaning they're down to one experienced, FBS-quality quarterback: Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight.

Is Texas A&M going to finish ahead of Alabama? Absolutely not. LSU? Nope. Ole Miss? Doubtful. Arkansas? Don't count on it. Sure, the Aggies have a fine team, but when you're fighting for 8-4, does that really matter? It's certainly not ideal when you're trying to tell recruits you're the best team in one of the richest recruiting states in the country. Still, Knight is a good player, and he will have good weapons around him, including a stacked stable of wide receivers. In fact, Texas A&M might have its best team since the Johnny Manziel days. But in the loaded SEC West, the Aggies might just end up being the sort of nice little team that makes the Music City Bowl.

Travel up the road to Austin, and Texas is in a similar situation. The Longhorns don't face quite the gauntlet of opponents the Aggies do, and they're recruiting well, but consider just how far away Texas is from being a Big 12 contender. This is a team that was shut out by Iowa State last year.

But the Longhorns have talent, led by a defense that has been building experience—and they can upset a team or two, just like they did last year—but can a team that got shut out by Iowa State truly expect to compete week-in and week-out in the Big 12? No chance.

As Texas and Texas A&M were worried about asserting dominance against each other, they ironically became messes, themselves. These days, the on-field implications of TCU-Baylor are far more important than the implications of any hypothetical Texas-Texas A&M game. So here's an idea: maybe the two should stop pussyfooting around and just play each other already. Replace games against UCLA (Texas A&M) and Notre Dame (Texas) with a non-conference showcase of Texas football.

In fact, it's probably more important now than ever that Texas and Texas A&M start focusing on the threat of outside forces, rather than each other. Because while the Longhorns and Aggies shit-talk each other, others have steam-rolled in and taken the Lone Star State's top recruits. According to 247Sports, Texas only got three of the state's top 10 recruits in 2016, while Texas A&M got just one (and No. 10 at that). The top three went to Ole Miss, Houston, and Florida, respectively, while No. 5 went to Stanford.

Why not pitch to in-state recruits an opportunity to play in a game featuring the two biggest brands in the state each year? Texas A&M was so busy pitching the SEC name against Texas that the SEC took advantage. Why not pitch Texas football as the pinnacle of the sport? In a state that already believes it, that could be a winning case.

Pride can be tough to swallow in college football, especially among hated rivals, but Texas and Texas A&M need each other more than they need their pride. Destroying your rival is nice, but it doesn't matter when you've both been blasted into college football oblivion. Both teams have a big opportunity, too, if they decide to work together. Baylor's recruiting class was decimated after the sexual assault scandal on campus, and the Bears' future remains uncertain. TCU, for all its hype, was only the 19th-best team in the country last year, according to the advanced statistical F/+ ratings, and the Horned Frogs lost a lot of talent. If there were ever a time for a return to the old balance of power, it's in the coming seasons.

Texas and Texas A&M can be just fine without each other, but there are more benefits to playing—and to teaming up—than there are to harboring ill will. Set pride aside, and maybe the momentum surrounding both programs can turn before their shared downward slide toward perpetual mediocrity becomes the new normal.