This is what makes college football great. Rivalry week is upon us, with so much room for chaos still left even with it being the last week of the season. One of the great rivalries of the sport kicks off on Friday, with the Texas A&M Aggies and Texas Longhorns reigniting a fierce rivalry that dates back to the 1890s.

A&M is on the verge of a perfect undefeated regular season and are aiming to punch their ticket to the SEC Championship game, while the Longhorns are looking to keep their slim College Football Playoff hopes alive.

What do our experts think of how this rivalry will go down?

Texas A&M vs. Texas final score predictions

Texas A&M 34, Texas 24

With the spotlight mostly off of Texas, Longhorn quarterback Arch Manning has started to play much better football over the last few games. With him playing well, that offers some worry for a talented Aggies defense that has been maddeningly inconsistent at times. On the offensive side for Texas A&M, they are a team predicated on big plays, and I believe that is the difference in this football game in the end. Without anything close to resembling a consistent rushing attack for Texas, it’s hard to believe that they will be able to match explosives with the likes of Mario Craver and Kevin Concepcion. –Ryan Roberts, A to Z Sports National College Football Writer

Texas 26, Texas A&M 24

The Longhorns and Texas A&M return to the same field for the first time in more than a decade, and the stakes couldn’t be more lopsided on paper. The Aggies arrive at 11-0, ranked near the top of the SEC, and sitting as a 2.5-point road favorite after flipping a preseason line that once had Texas favored by double digits. Marcel Reed has pushed his way into fringe Heisman territory with more than 3,000 total yards and 30 total touchdowns, while Texas has stumbled to 8-3 behind Arch Manning’s uneven but increasingly explosive year. Still, the matchup cuts cleaner than the record does. A&M owns the playoff path. Texas owns the spoiler role. Manning has averaged 328.5 yards with 11 touchdowns and one pick over his last four games, and the Aggies face a Texas defense that may bend but rarely breaks in big moments. Rivalries rewrite expectations. This one sets up as a Black Friday upset with Texas and the points at home. – Nick Wright, A to Z Sports Texas

Texas A&M 27, Texas 24

The Texas A&M Aggies just flat out better than the Texas Longhorns in most every single category this season. They have the superior dual threat quarterback in Marcel Reed (although Arch Manning is improving). The Aggies’ offensive and defensive efficiency marks are better across the board with the exception of their run defense. The skill position players have been lights out for Texas A&M all season long as the wide receivers certainly look better than the Longhorns’ group, surprisingly enough. The elite talent edge along the defensive and offensive trenches also goes to the Aggies. Cashius Howell is looking like a first round edge rusher. Chase Bisontis and the A&M offensive line has played extremely well. Still, with all of those advantages, this rivalry game can get weird. The Longhorns hang around and make this one a bit ugly thanks to their defense, but Marcel Reed and company win a close one in the end. – Travis May, A to Z Sports College Football & NFL Draft Managing Editor

Texas A&M 35, Texas 17

Call me unimpressed by the Texas Longhorns this season. Every time they’ve played a quality team in the trenches, they’ve gotten flat out bullied, and there aren’t many teams more talented in the trenches than the Aggies. Texas’s offensive line can’t handle the likes of Cashius Howell for very long, and A&M’s offensive line can wear down Texas’s group over the course of the game. This being a rivalry game will probably keep it close for a bit, but the Aggies are the best second half team in the country, and they’ll use a big third quarter to pull away from the Longhorns, just as they’ve done all season. Marcel Reed punches his ticket to the Heisman ceremony in this one. –AJ Schulte, A to Z Sports Texas A&M