I love the debate about which school is the real UT. Any Tennessee history student knows that without 30,000 Tennesseans heading off to the Mexican-American War, Arch Manning would likely be the quarterback for the University of Mexico at Austin.

Tennessee’s contribution was large enough to lock in a nickname the state already carried: the Volunteer State. So when Texas wants to argue about which UT came first, it is worth remembering who showed up when Texas needed help.

You’re welcome, Longhorns.

Texas has a long history of trying to co-opt things from the Volunteer State. Country music. Davy Crockett. Then there is Sam Houston. Before becoming the first president of the Republic of Texas, Houston was governor of Tennessee. His time in Nashville ended badly. He resigned in disgrace and fled the state under a disguise and an assumed name. He eventually made his way to Texas and became one of the central figures in the state’s history.

Texas can keep Sam Houston. We got Rick Barnes.

The borrowing continued into college athletics.

The University of Tennessee was founded in 1794. The University of Texas was founded in 1883, nearly 90 years later. Tennessee was using the initials “UT” long before Texas showed up and decided it wanted them too.

Then, when the University of Texas (hereafter “Fake UT”) decided it wanted a serious football program again, it bolted the Big 12 and joined charter SEC member Tennessee in a real athletic conference.

The logo fight is the best part. Both schools use an interlocking UT mark, which produced one of the more interesting legal scraps in what is otherwise mostly playful alumni banter. In 1985, Tennessee applied to register the mark for commercial goods: bumper stickers, key chains, beer coozies, clothing, gym bags, jewelry, housewares. Texas already held trademark rights for educational and entertainment uses and was not amused.

Enter the lawyers.

After months of posturing and threats, the two universities reached an agreement. Texas got full commercial rights west of the Mississippi. Tennessee got everything east of the river, plus West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, home of LSU. The 1986 deal also allowed limited use in each other’s territory for special events such as bowl games.

So which school is the real UT?

The answer is simple. Texas can have UT west of the Mississippi. Tennessee can have it east of the Mississippi. That seems fair. Tennessee has always been generous to Texas. We sent them the Volunteers. We gave them Sam Houston. We let them join our conference. We even let them have half the logo.

So by all means, Texas can keep calling itself UT.

But we know the truth. There’s UT. And then there’s Fake UT.

David Moon is president of Moon Capital Management. A version of this piece originally appeared in the USA TODAY NETWORK.