The long wait for the return of the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry is almost over, and the anticipation ahead of one of college football’s greatest games is ramping up ticket prices. The No. 3 Longhorns travel to Kyle Field to take on the No. 20 Aggies to conclude the regular season on Saturday, with the stakes high as Texas vies to secure a College Football Playoff berth.

The rivalry had been contested every year from 1915 to 2011 until the Aggies quit the Big 12 to join the SEC. The teams have not met on the same field since, but with Texas joining the SEC this year, the rivalry will be reignited this weekend in College Station.

Ticketing site Tick Pick reports the cheapest tickets available have reached around $750, with the average ticket sale coming in at $1,079, making it the most expensive college football game on record.

With all the factors at play, it is no surprise. Hype surrounding the game has only been heightened by the fact it is the final game of the regular season, with plenty on the line for both teams.

No. 3 Texas (10-1) does not have a single win over a current top-25 team this season, and a loss to the 8-3 Aggies could have fatal consequences for their College Football Playoff hopes. Texas A&M meanwhile, could sneak into the top 12 with a win at Kyle Field if results go their way elsewhere.

Saturday's game could wreck Texas and Steve Sarkisian's College Football Playoff hopes

Saturday’s game could wreck Texas and Steve Sarkisian’s College Football Playoff hopes ( 

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Getty)

Aggies head coach Mike Elko cannot wait for kickoff. “I think just, in general, and I’ve said this from day one, when you have two programs as large as these two programs are as close to each other as they are, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for them not to play,” he said of the rivalry’s long hiatus.

“So, it always felt weird not playing. And so now, to be playing and to be playing for what we’re playing for? Yeah, I imagine it will be pretty electric Saturday.”

Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian tried to downplay the occasion, with Texas hoping to compete for bigger prizes over the coming weeks. But he recognized the magnitude of the moment awaiting his team on Saturday night.

“I know for us the game is the game as far as what we are trying to accomplish to win that game to get to the SEC championship game,” Sarkisian said. “But I’m not naive to know the rivalry is the rivalry and what this game means to the entire state of Texas and households being divided Thanksgiving weekend.

“I think it’s great for college football that this game with us and them is going to matter on a grander scale than just what’s happening in the state of Texas. But I also know how much it means to every household in the state of Texas. So it’s pretty cool to be part of. I’m excited.”