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For many fans, the continuing whirlwind of athletic conference realignment has been a mixed blessing: while it brings league-hopping programs greater revenue and visibility, it also puts an end to traditional college rivalry competitions. But one state legislator is refusing to accept the latter consequence. Following Texas A&M University’s move last year from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference, Democratic Rep. Ryan Guillen has filed a bill that would require an annual football showdown between that institution and the University of Texas at Austin, The Texas Tribune reported. Under the law, if either institution chose to forgo the game -- which spanned a century before coming to a halt in 2012 -- it would face athletic scholarship reductions.
However, football fans probably shouldn’t get their hopes up. Michael McCann, director of the Sports Law Institute at the Vermont Law School, told Sports Illustrated that he doesn't think the bill has "a plausible shot” at becoming law. And if it somehow did, unintended legal consequences could follow, and the universities would likely claim it unconstitutional.
