The Next Generation of Texas Sports Rivalries
Texas Cup 2024: Rattlers vs. Gamblers + 7 More of the Lone Star State’s Most Iconic Rivalries
Everything’s bigger in Texas – especially the sports scene.
Keeping up with Texas sports at a local, collegiate, and professional level is a crucial pillar of the state’s rich and vibrant culture. With some of the largest fan bases in the country, it's no surprise that some seriously epic rivalries come out of these followings. Rivalries have been a staple of Texas sports culture since the beginning, with some of the more intense holding the power to divide communities, friendships, and even families.
In honor of the Texas Cup rivalry between the Ariat Texas Rattlers and Austin Gamblers, we’re highlighting 8 of the most intense and iconic in-state-rivalries the Lone Star State has to offer.
College Football
Texas Longhorns vs. Texas A&M Aggies
Lone Star Showdown
The rivalry between the Longhorns and Aggies is one of the most cherished and storied in all of Texas. This feud between two of the oldest and largest universities in Texas dates back to 1894, making it one of the oldest not only in Texas, but in all of college sports history. It has long been tradition to hold the Lone Star Showdown on Thanksgiving day, drawing massive media attention and fans and alumni from all over. The showdowns ceased in 2011 following A&M’s departure from the Big 12 for the SEC, but Austin’s recent move to the SEC means that the rivalry is slated to launch again this year. After a 12-year-hiatus, they’ll be back again on November 30. The game comes as part of SEC’s rivalry week at the end of their regular season and is sure to be one of the most well-attended in recent memory.
SMU Mustangs vs. TCU Horned Frogs
Battle for the Iron Skillet
This Metroplex matchup between Southern Methodist University and Texas Christian University has been referred to as “the greatest college football rivalry in North Texas.” The feud between the two private universities (located just 35 miles apart from one another in Dallas and Fort Worth) has been sizzling ever since their first meeting in 1915, but it wasn’t until 1946 that the matchup adopted its iconic name. The most popular origin story tells of a Mustangs fan who was frying frog legs in an iron skillet ahead of the November 30th game, when an appalled TCU fan confronted him and proposed that whichever team won should have the skillet as a trophy. Whether or not this is entirely true, it has been the teams’ tradition to trade a skillet-shaped trophy since 1946. The Battle for the Iron Skillet is taking a pause after next year, with its last game scheduled for fall of 2025.
High School Football
Texas wouldn’t be Texas without its massive following of high school football fans. While there is plenty of gritty young talent all across the state, the Permian Basin boasts some of the most formidable and infamous matchups.
Permian Panthers vs. Midland Lee Rebels
Mojo vs. Lee
Ever heard of Friday Night Lights? The 1990 book follows the Permian Panthers’ 1988 season and features the Midland rivalry prominently. The Mojo vs. Lee feud is one of the most competitive, with the two teams trading punches for championship spots in addition to good-old-fashioned bragging rights.
Permian Panthers vs. Odessa Bronchos
Odessa Bowl
The Odessa Bowl rivalry kicks things up a notch from in-state to in-city. It dates back to 1959, when a second high school opened on the east side of Odessa and brought the Permian Panthers onto the scene. Matchups between the Bronchos and Panthers are rooted deeply in the local community, with the high-intensity games regularly drawing crowds of more than 10,000 strong.
MLB
Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros
Lone Star Series / Silver Boot Series
Although football tends to dominate the rivalry scene, there is a pretty significant feud in the world of baseball as well. The Lone Star Series, also referred to as the Silver Boot Series, has heated up in the past several years since the Astros joined the same league as the Rangers in 2013. Fans across the DFW area stick to their guns as they cheer for their respective teams in the quest for the trophy: a 30-inch-tall cowboy boot cast in silver and fitted with a custom spur.
PBR
Ariat Texas Rattlers vs. Austin Gamblers
Texas Cup
Last but certainly not least is the Ariat Texas Rattlers’ very own Texas Cup rivalry against the Austin Gamblers. Competition for the Texas Cup is coming in hot this fall, with the first matchup of the 2024 Camping World Series under our belt after Freedom Days, and two more battles on the docket before all’s said and done. Austin took the first victory in Florida, but we’ll be ready to strike back this Saturday come Gambler Days, looking to deal them a loss on their own home dirt.
The final faceoff is slated for our homestand Rattler Days, right here in Fort Worth, on September 27th. Clear your calendars, get your hands on some Ariat Texas Rattlers merch, and grab your Rattler Days tickets now to cheer on your hometown cowboys as they ride towards a Texas Cup victory, eight seconds at a time. See you at the Coliseum!