Arizona State on Friday announced an agreement to play Texas A&M in the 2015 AdvoCare Texas Kickoff at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The game will be played on Sept. 5, 2015.
Outgoing ASU athletic director Steve Patterson, who has accepted the same position at Texas, began the negotiations for the game and made the announcement via press release Friday.
"We are excited to participate in this unique college football event in the state of Texas against an SEC opponent in Texas A&M," Patterson said. "Our fans and alumni experienced a fabulous time in Dallas with the Notre Dame game at AT&T Stadium earlier this year, and we are excited to provide another similar opportunity for our fans, alumni and student-athletes. Todd Graham and his coaching staff recruit the state of Texas and this can only serve to enhance that effort."
According to a report earlier in the week by the local FOX news affiliate in Houston, Texas A&M will be the home team in the game, and the game contract calls for the use of Big 12 officials. ESPN will carry the game on its family of networks.
"Playing Arizona State is a wonderful opportunity to compete against one of the best teams in the Pac 12," Texas A&M athletic director Eric Hyman said. "We are excited about the matchup in Houston and especially playing in Reliant Stadium with such a large number of our former students in the area."
The game fills the spot on ASU's 2015 non-conference schedule that opened up when LSU asked ASU to push back a 2015-2016 home-and-home series.
ASU's 2015 non-conference slate also includes home games against New Mexico and Cal Poly. The New Mexico game was scheduled for Sept. 5 and has been moved to Sept. 19. The Cal Poly game was originally scheduled for Sept. 19 but will now be played Sept. 12.
ASU has not yet filled the empty 2016 home game slot.
The agreement to play in Houston furthers Graham's desire to increase exposure and recruiting efforts in his home state of Texas. The Notre Dame game offered the Sun Devils a significant recruiting platform near Graham's hometown of Mesquite, Texas, a Dallas suburb.
Graham has expressed a desire to play such marquee neutral site games every couple seasons, particularly against Texas schools. ASU also has a road game at University of Texas-San Antonio in 2016.
Reliant Stadium, home of the NFL's Houston Texans, seats 71,500. It hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 and the NCAA Final Four in 2011.
