When everything was on the line in double overtime, ISU coach Paul Rhoads made the decision.

They were going for two.

Without revealing the outcome of the next play, most ISU fans will remember that the double-overtime game described above was a 31-30 loss to Nebraska last season in the 94th and final time the teams faced off as members of the same conference.

One week later, the Cyclones also played the Colorado Buffaloes for the final time in conference play. Remember that game? Colorado had just fired coach Dan Hawkins the week before and Iowa State seemed poised for a big road win.

Rather than a big win, ISU fans will remember a 34-14 road loss during which starting quarterback Austen Arnaud suffered a season-ending knee injury. That loss ended a 63-game series between the two teams as members of the Big Eight and Big 12 Conferences.

As members of the Big Eight and Big 12 North division, there was something more on the line last year as both teams tried to leave their mark on the series between both teams by winning the final game.

On Saturday, Iowa State will play Texas A&M likely for the last time in conference play as the Aggies will join the Southeastern Conference on July 1, 2012.

However, with the Aggies as a member of the Big 12 South division, the two teams have only squared off in conference play eight times since the Big 12 formed in 1996. 

The Aggies have dominated the matchup, winning nine of the 10 total meetings — the teams also played in 1978 and 1984 — with the only ISU victory coming in 2005 when the Cyclones knocked off A&M 42-14 in College Station, Texas.

With not much history in the matchup, there isn’t really the same feeling around Iowa State and there shouldn’t be as the Cyclones and Aggies prepare to face off for the last time in Big 12 play.

So how will the move by Texas A&M to leave the Big 12 affect Iowa State?

The largest effect any conference switch by a Texas team involves is recruiting. In nearly every major sport, many of the top high school athletes in the state of Texas are coveted by programs across the country. Football is no exception.

The fact that TCU will now take Texas A&M’s place next season will essentially replace A&M’s place in recruiting among Big 12 teams. 

According to Rivals.com, TCU actually leapfrogged Texas A&M in recruiting last season, bringing in the nation’s No. 26 recruiting class versus A&M’s No. 27 recruiting class following an undefeated season and Rose Bowl win.

“The obvious is we’re replacing a Texas school with a Texas school and the recruiting fact that we’ll still be going to the state of Texas two times every year to play football games is important to our recruiting base,” Rhoads said on Oct. 10, the day TCU accepted its invite to the Big 12.

How important is Texas to Iowa State’s recruiting base? Twenty-four of the players on Iowa State’s roster hail from the Lonestar state. The number of players from Texas are second only to the number of players from Iowa (52).

Although football carries perhaps the most popularity and makes the most money of any Division I sport, it’s important to note that the Cyclones are 9-24 in volleyball, 7-10 in men’s basketball and 14-6 in women’s basketball against the Aggies.

Not a very competitive rivalry throughout the Aggies’ Big 12 tenure.

It will be a big game for Iowa State after losing three straight, but as the Aggies bid farewell to the Big 12, this game and the series between these two teams will not be as missed as others in the Big 12.

With TCU taking the Aggies place, don’t expect a monumental shift in Iowa State’s place among the Big 12 in recruiting and performance.