Texas and Texas A&M will play each other again, Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said recently, but don't expect the rivalry to resume anytime soon.
In comments made to the The Daily Texan, the UT student newspaper, Dodds said the interruption to the rivalry, prompted by A&M's departure to the Southeastern Conference, won't be permanent.
"I think we'll play sometime," Dodds said. "I don't know when it will happen or how it will happen, but I'm sure it will happen."
That doesn't sound like the Longhorns and Aggies will meet again under the watch of the 73-year-old Dodds. The rivalry began in 1894 but was halted after the 2011-12 athletic year when Texas A&M withdrew from the Big 12.
"They left," Dodds said. "They're the ones that decided not to play us. We get to decide when we play again. I think that's fair."
Texas and Texas A&M had played every year in football since 1914 (Texas holds a 76-37-5 edge in the series). Their rivalry grew into an annual Thanksgiving weekend tradition in the state.
Texas has also not scheduled non-conference competitions with A&M in all sports. According to Dodds, Longhorns fans are in no hurry to resume playing the Aggies.
"If you did a survey of our fans about playing A&M, they don't want to," Dodds said. "It's overwhelming. I know. I hear it. Our fans are important to us. I think there's got to be a period where things get different. I think there's too many hard feelings."
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
