Texas A&M-Texas Tech rivalry could be the next to bite the dust

It looks like another Big 12 rivalry could become a casualty of expansion.

Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that the Red Raiders will only play Texas A&M if they can schedule matchups in every sport.

"We discussed it with all our head coaches," Hocutt told the Journal, "and that's something we as an athletic department and we as a group of coaches feel strongly about at this time."

A&M is on its way to the SEC next year and has already lost its rivalry game with Texas for the foreseeable future. Losing another in-state rivalry game won't exactly go over well with the fans, even if it is with Texas Tech.

Even though Hocutt told the paper that he doesn't see any Tech-A&M games happening "any time soon," he isn't shutting the door completely. If A&M and Texas Tech can work out a way to play each other in all sports ? not just football and basketball ? then a deal can be worked out and the rivalry can be saved.

"Our football schedule is set for the next two years," Hocutt said. "We'll see if anything happens in the near future. But if down the road they're interested in having that conversation, we would be willing to engage in it as well."

The Big 12 hasn't exactly taken expansion well. As noted above, Texas isn't eager to resume its annual Thanksgiving rivalry game with the Aggies and told A&M athletic director Bill Byrne that the Longhorns might be able to work them into the 2018 schedule ? at the earliest. Similarly, Kansas said it would abandon the Border Showdown with Missouri if the Tigers left for the SEC and have stuck to their guns for the most part, leaving only a tiny crack for the 121-year-old rivalry to continue.

While we all understand there are a lot of hurt feelings among Big 12 teams especially after the conference nearly dissolved during Pac-12 and Big Ten expansion in 2010. But holding grudges against two teams that decided to part ways with the conference is petty and only hurts the fans. Hopefully, all of these universities will swallow their pride and realize that their decisions are bigger than just the universities they represent.

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Graham Watson is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow her @Yahoo_Graham

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