Gov. Martin O’Malley, the former mayor of Baltimore, mixed a little pigskin and politics Tuesday in advance of the Sunday’s playoff game between the Houston Texans and his hometown Ravens.

Governors and mayors from the states and cities from which playoff teams hail often make good-natured bets before games.

O’Malley said Tuesday he has reached out to Texas Gov. Rick Perry to agree on a wager.

“I had a hard time reaching him on the phone,” O’Malley joked.

Perry is also the former chairman of the Republican Governors Association, but left the post to Virginia’s Bob McDonnell when he launched his presidential bid. O’Malley heads the Democratic Governors Association.

Perry has been largely rendered a non-factor in the race after a weak showing in the Iowa caucuses.

“We’re putting out a bet to Rick Perry that the Ravens will score more points against the Texans than he gets in New Hampshire tonight,” O’Malley said, referring to the Granite State’s primary on Tuesday.

A mostly humdrum budget hearing held at least one interesting tidbit about newly confirmed labor Secretary Alexander M. Sanchez.

His department – Labor, Licensing and Regulation – oversees everything from mortgage brokers to sports agents to barbers, and monitors the state’s financial sector and enforces workplace regulations.

If that wasn’t enough, the department was responsible for coming up with requirements for mixed martial arts referees after the sport was legalized in the state. The first MMA bout was held last year in Baltimore. Sanchez said the event drew more than 5,000 spectators, including the secretary himself.

“Sir, were you there as a participant?” asked Del. John L. Bohanan Jr., D-St. Mary’s.

“Just an interested observer,” Sanchez replied.

The state of Maryland already spends millions to build and operate stadiums and arenas for sports teams, and now a Prince George’s County delegate and former NFL quarterback wants the state to have a say in who some of the teams play.

Del. Jay Walker’s “Maryland Football Act” would require, in technical terms, schools in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision to play Football Championship Subdivision schools once every four years. Before you go to Google to decipher the NCAA tiers, it means the University of Maryland would have to play both Towson University and Morgan State at least once every four years.

“It would ensure that Morgan and Towson don’t just play Maryland once in a lifetime,” Walker said. “It would help those schools tremendously.

The games could be played on either team’s home field, or at a neutral site, according to the language of the bill.

“When the NCAA allowed FBS schools to play a 12th game, it was so they could play smaller schools,” Walker said. “Rather than [James Madison University] or [the University of Richmond] coming up and getting their $600,000, the games should stay in the state.”

Maryland played Madison last season and squeaked out a 38-35 win in overtime.