OP/ED
Of all the rivalries in the Lone Star State, there may not be one as heated and fierce as the Texas State-Sam Houston series.
The rivalry between the Bobcats and Bearkats has existed for over 100 years, spanning across four different conferences. In fact, it is one of the most played series in the state of the Texas with 91 total meetings, more than SMU-Rice [91], Baylor-Texas Tech [82], Texas-Texas Tech [70], Texas A&M- Texas Tech [70] and TCU-Texas Tech [66], The series went on hiatus after the 2011 season, but will make its grand return this Saturday as the Bobcats battle the Bearkats at NRG Stadium in Houston.
But why does this game have such notoriety and why has the rivalry been on hiatus like so many instate rivalries have been?
Since the beginning, Texas State and Sam Houston have been somewhat mirror images of one another.
Both started out as teacher college’s and were founders of the Texas State University System in 1911. The universities have also been instrumental in being founder members of athletic conferences such as the Lone Star Conference [1931] and the Gulf Star Conference [1984].
The first ever meeting between the Bobcats and the Bearkats took place in 1915, ending in a 0-0 tie.
Since 1915, the Texas State and Sam Houston series has been an annual matchup until the 2011 season. Prior to the last decade or so, the only years that Texas State and Sam Houston have not played came in 1918, 1928, 1929, 1930 and from 1943-1945 during which the Bobcats did not play any football due to World War II. The rivalry restarted play in 1946 and played continuously until 2011.
Between 1945-1983, the series would be considered lukewarm in terms of rivalries within the Lone Star Conference. The Bobcats primary rivals during the Lone Star Conference days were the Texas A&M Kingsville Javelinas, which was traditionally played around Thanksgiving while Sam Houston played the archrival Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks around the same time.
However, the series entered the next chapter when both Texas State and Sam Houston moved from the Lone Star Conference to the Gulf Star Conference then later the Southland Conference, now competing in the Football Championship Subdivision.
The annual game between the Bobcats and the Bearkats was moved from its traditional October date to the final game of the regular season in late November turning the series into the battle of best teams of the FCS.
The peak of the rivalry came from 1999-2011. Prior to 1999, the series was also filled with dominant streaks. The Bobcats dominated the Bearkats from 1967-1983, going 15-2 against Sam Houston. The Bearkats returned the favor from 1984-1998, going 12-2--1 against Texas State.
But between 1999 through 2011, the series was leveled out with Texas State winning seven and Sam Houston winning six in the 13 meetings between the teams. During this time, the Bearkats would make their run to the FCS playoff semifinals in 2004 while Texas State made their own run to the FCS semifinals in 2005.
The transition of the Bobcats move to Football Bowl Subdivision in 2012 effectively killed the rivalry with the Bearkats not making the jump to FBS until 2023.
The question of whether or not the rivalry would resume was answered in June of this year when Texas State replaced Liberty on their non-conference schedule in favor of Sam Houston State with the game now being played at NRG Stadium. It marks just the second time the teams have played in Houston with the 1982 game being played in the Astrodome.
Going into their Houston showdown, Texas State leads the overall series against Sam Houston 50-36-5.
Though the future of the series remains unclear as the Bobcats have filled out their non-schedule through 2030, the reuniting of the old rivalry between the Bobcats and the Bearkats will be worth celebrating.
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
