(09-10-2019 02:34 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(09-10-2019 02:12 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(09-10-2019 01:09 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(09-10-2019 10:12 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  Possibly but I think it’s more difficult when you’re trying to compel a private entity by threatening public funding. Plus given the less than competitive rate they already fund the Flagships at now, I seriously doubt they’d threaten that too.

But hey who knows, politicians do dumber stuff than that all the time

I grew up with the SWC. I remember the Texas vs A&M game being a huge part of the college football season back then. I hate that we seem to be moving farther and farther from the college football traditions I remember as a kid. I'd have no problem with the Texas legislature requiring its two biggest public universities to play one another.

Like you, I miss the falling away of some traditions in college football, and sadly a big hot-spot for that has been the Big 8/SWC/Big 12 mess of the past 25 years. It's a shame that Texas and TAMU don't play annually anymore, that was a great and natural rivalry. Heck, each school's fight song mentions the other.

Nevertheless, I'd be 100% against a law mandating that they play. That should be up to the schools. You can't force that, it wouldn't feel the same.

The schools actually exist as part of the state. The concept behind the schools is that they function to benefit ALL Texans directly or indirectly--not just grads or current administrators. If this is something the vast majority of Texans want---then I have no issue with ordering an arm of Texas government to comply with the wishes of the people of Texas. We arent talking about anything that threatens the quality of the education or the ability of schools to properly function. That said---while I personally want the game to return---if 10th Mountain is correct that the athletic programs are private entities---I'd have an issue with the principal of ordering these private entities to play a game they dont want to play. However, even if they are private---I know at the very least----there is a lot of overlap between the "private" part of athletics and the state. For instance---I know for a fact that football coaches are state employees. So---this may be something that doesnt really fit neatly into the typical private or public categories.

In the end---I doubt anything comes of this---and if it does---I suspect the students and alums of both schools would end up enjoying the rivalry as much as earlier students/alums did back in the day.

No question, the universities are organs of the state, so of course the state government has the power to order them to play.

Still, IMO that is inappropriate micro-management. I think you list some very good reasons as to why UT and TAMU *should* play. I can only think of good reasons to do so as well.

Nevertheless, in the end, I think it should be up to them.