AUSTIN, Texas -- Beginning this week, the "Lone Star Showdown" is the official moniker for all varsity men's and women's athletics competition between Texas A&M University and The University of Texas, as announced jointly Tuesday by both institutions.

The already storied rivalry series between the state's two flagship institutions of higher education will be titled and supported financially through a major sponsorship from State Farm Insurance Companies. In a state with more than 1,200 high schools, the Aggies and Longhorns recruit homegrown talent for their broad-based athletics programs. More than 1,300 men and women student-athletes compete for Texas and Texas A&M.

Both universities boast huge living alumni bases -- 415,000 for UT and more than 250,000 for Texas A&M -- and a significant following from supporters throughout the state and the nation. The schools are members of the Big 12 Conference and NCAA Division I (I-A in football).

Beginning Friday with a soccer match in College Station, the rivalry series will be tracked by a point system during 25 scheduled A&M-UT contests. A total of 19 points can be won.

Winning results from these seven regular season head-to-head match-ups accrue one point each: football, soccer, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, baseball (best of three-game series victor), men's tennis, and women's tennis.

Winning results from these regular season head-to-head match-ups accrue one-half point, as home-and-home contests are played: men's basketball, women's basketball, women's volleyball, and women's softball.

Higher team place standings from Big 12 Conference Championship events in these sports will accrue one point: men's indoor track & field, women's indoor track & field, men's cross country, women's cross country, men's outdoor track & field, women's outdoor track & field, men's golf, and women's golf.

A logo has been created for use in promotion, advertising, signage, television, and internet publicity efforts. A trophy will designate the Lone Star Showdown champion each year. Host and the two schools are working to increase television and video-streaming exposure of the matchups. Several of the contests already are scheduled for national telecast.

The sponsorship commitment from State Farm was negotiated by UT and Texas A&M representatives with executives from Host Communications, a collegiate marketing and media company with sales offices in Dallas and in Austin and corporate headquarters in Lexington, Ky.

State Farm has supported UT, Texas A&M, and NCAA intercollegiate sports programs in the past and also those conducted by the University Interscholastic League of the state of Texas. The sponsorship covers the 2004-05 and 2005-06 academic years.