We are roughly 18 months from the 10-year anniversary of the last football game between Texas and Texas A&M. The Longhorns and Aggies have met on the field in every sport since their 2011-12 breakup, but not in football.
And it's clear it's not going to happen any time soon.
Both schools have changed presidents, ADs and head coaches -- in most cases, multiple times -- since their Nov. 24, 2011 parting, and at times it seemed there was real momentum toward a reunion.
On Tuesday, though, the veneer finally dropped. Both sides have behaved for years like a divorced couple who engaged in score-settling through their mutual friends and/or cryptic Facebook statuses -- all the while making it clear they'd be interested in getting back together, either on a permanent basis or a 1-night stand, as long as the other side made the first move.
Now they've dropped that second part and they're just trying to trash the other side.
In what is surely not coincidental timing, the ADs of UT and A&M made it clear that a reunion is anything but imminent.
Del Conte continued, but the above statements was merely an instance of each school's words finally catching up with their actions.
Texas A&M has Colorado, Miami, Notre Dame, Arizona State and Louisville on the schedule for 2020 through 2029. Texas is booked up with LSU, Arkansas, Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Georgia, Florida and Arizona State through 2033. Clearly, a reunion is not a priority for either school.
Even if the schools were interested in resuming the rivalry, timing would be incredibly complicated. Texas would want the game in its customary Thanksgiving weekend slot, while A&M -- having seen the seeds of a rivalry with LSU finally starting to bloom -- would want the game in September.
Obviously, none of this is new.
If Texas and Texas A&M are to meet again on the football field, it will happen in a College Football Playoff game, or the Sugar Bowl, or the Cotton Bowl. Considering the last time the Horns and Aggies both finished in the AP Top 10 was 1941, don't expect a reunion any time soon.