Junction

Report: LSU AD expects Texas A&M to become new end-of-season opponent

Dallas News
Staff reports
Published: 29 May 2012 08:35 PM

Texas A&M's move to the SEC left a glaring hole in the final week of their football schedule, the slot normally occupied by the arch-rival Texas Longhorns. But if LSU athletic director Joe Alleva has a say, his Tigers could take over as the Aggies' biggest rival.

According to a report by Scott Rabalais of the Advocate, a Baton Rouge-based newspaper, Alleva believes LSU will drop the Arkansas Razorbacks as their season-ending opponent in the near future, replacing them with Texas A&M. The report said the switch will likely happen in 2014.

LSU and Arkansas have been end-of-season opponents since 1992, the year after the Razorbacks joined the South Eastern Conference. But Alleva said Arkansas would be moved up "in the middle somewhere" of LSU's schedule when the switch is made. Baton Rouge, where the LSU plays, is about 200 miles closer to College Station than Fayetteville, Ark.

It may not be as bitter as A&M's history with Texas, but the LSU-Texas A&M rivalry dates back to 1899 and has produced 50 match ups to date. LSU leads the all-time series 27-20-3, including a 41-24 win in the 2011 Cotton Bowl.