In a deal officially announced Tuesday by the Big 12 and ESPN, the Longhorns-Aggies game is officially back on Thanksgiving Day for the first time since 1993. It is set to air nationally on the network for the next two years.
Next season's game with Texas A&M will be at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Nov. 27 with coverage slated to begin at 7 p.m.
"The conference and ESPN asked us to move the game and we were glad to oblige," said Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds in a statement. "The game had been a great tradition for years on Thanksgiving and we're pleased that it will be again for the next two years."
The 115th football game between the Longhorns and Aggies game is part of a deal ESPN struck with Fox Sports Net to continue televising Big 12 regular-season home games on Thursdays or Saturdays, according to an ESPN statement.
ESPN aired seven contests as part of a two-year agreement and became the first network to televise home games from 10 Division I conferences, including all six affiliated with the BCS.
"Big 12 football was a great addition to our schedule last year, and we look forward to continuing our coverage," said Dave Brown, ESPN vice president of programming and acquisitions, in a statement. "The addition of games to our Thursday primetime schedule will make a big impact to the popular series. With the cooperation of Fox Sports Net and of the Big 12, fans will be able to see even more action from this premier conference for two more years."
The Longhorns-Aggies game had previously been broadcast on ABC - which is owned by ESPN - in an agreement that moved the game to the day after Thanksgiving.
"When I arrived in Aggieland, one of the first questions I was asked was, 'When would we get the Texas football game back on Thanksgiving?'" said Texas A&M Athletics Director Bill Byrne in a statement. "I knew the Big 12 contract called for the game to be played the day after Thanksgiving on ABC, but that didn't stop the questions or desire to move the game back to Thanksgiving. I am thrilled that ESPN has offered to move the game back to that traditional date of Thanksgiving. I applaud the Big 12 Conference and our television partners in making this happen."
ESPN previously aired the game from 1984 to 1989 and from 1991 to 1993, and all but two of them were on Thanksgiving Day. The Longhorns and Aggies have played 60 times on the holiday, with Texas holding a 40-20 advantage.
Texas A&M has won the last two Thanksgiving Day meetings between the schools. New Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman hopes to get the chance to extend the streak well beyond four.
"I am very excited about playing our Texas game on Thanksgiving night," Sherman said in a statement. "This
tradition-rich rivalry between two great universities deserves this type of exposure. I am hopeful we can keep this date for this game in years to come."
Tuesday's announcement changes both Texas' first and last games of the 2009 season.
Texas is also expected to reschedule its season-opener with Arkansas at the Razorbacks' request. An official decision should be reached this week.
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