Texas A&M-Will they have a shot at the Big 12 Title next year?

I can see losses to Nebraska, Va Tech, OSU, OU, and Texas. Franchione will finish 6-5 with Aracee's table scraps. Drew Tate will become the new starting QB after about Week 6. Reggie McNeal will be moved to DB. Until Fran can get a few decent recruiting classes under his belt, the Ags will continue to be mediocre.

 

To answer your question: No.

Franchione is a great coach, but he is not this miracle-worker like some make him out to be.

 

No.

 

It'll be a year or two. They'll be better but not nearly good enough.

 

Yeah, they'll be in the mix. Every team except for Baylor will be in the mix for it. UT & TT have new QBs. OU has an ongoing QB situation and loses their RB. While it'd be nice to just say that our new guys will do fine, you never know how first-year QB's will react and play. A&M lost a lot of close games this year - who knows what can happen next year.

 

Games they should win.
Aug 30 2003 Sat Arkansas State College Station, Texas
Sep 06 2003 Sat Utah College Station, Texas
Oct 11 2003 Sat Baylor College Station, Texas
Oct 25 2003 Sat Oklahoma State * College Station, Texas
Nov 15 2003 Sat @ Missouri * Columbia, Mo.
Nov 01 2003 Sat Kansas * College Station, Texas

Games that could go either way, but I think could be won.
Sep 18 2003 Thu @ Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Va. 6:30 PM
Sep 27 2003 Sat Pittsburgh College Station, Texas
Nov 28 2003 Fri Texas * College Station, Texas

Games I think they'll probably lose
Oct 04 2003 Sat @ Texas Tech * Lubbock, Texas
Oct 18 2003 Sat @ Nebraska Lincoln, Neb.
Nov 08 2003 Sat @ Oklahoma * Norman, Okla.

I think at best the Aggies could go 9-3 and at worse 6-6. They're schedule is actually a lot tougher next season, because more of the games against good teams are away games. This past season we had VA Tech, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Nebraska all at home.

 

Well, we've lost 6 of the last 8 to them. I just have lost all confidence in that game.

 

One thing a lot of people are forgetting is that A&M also has some really good players that are currently redshirted. They will be available to play next season. Coach Fran is going in where the cupboard isn't exactly empty.

 

Yep. But they also lose sammy davis, Kiel, Gamble, etc. And, whatever atm recruited, it was always sub standard compared to what UT recruited. UT, the "diverse" tier one University gets what they want, and atm may get the rest. a$m is in for 4 long years. Agricultural schools don't do well in recruiting urban kids these days. Mack owns Texas.

Refman, you're a smart guy. If I were in your shoes, I would "boldly" predict a top 3 big 12 south finish. If you go beyond that, you'll look like a jack ass. Save yourself some humiliation and embarrassment. Somehow, Franochio will recruit "lack of minority" station." Franochio will overcome lack of minority" station and may build an 8 win team.

 

It hasn't been in the past and it isn't this year according to consensus reports. Do you just enjoy making asinine statements? Do you try to come off looking like a jackass or is it a gift?

Further stupidity.

If you think that A&M is even primarily an agricultural institution in the present day then you are even more delusional than I thought.

When did I make a prediction? Oh that's right...I didn't. I merely pointed out an obvious fact. I never predicted where we'd finish in the Big 12, nor did I predict a record. The fact is that there is a lot of turmoil in the Big 12 South this year. Texas will have a new QB. A&M will have a new coach. Tech will have a new QB. OU will have a new RB. Who knows where all of this will leave the teams?

I'll leave looking like a jackass to you...you seem to have a real knack for it.

You really are a jackass, aren't you?

OK...let's see. You insult the porogram...the entire University as an educational institution...AND the ENTIRE City of College Station. You are an embarrassment to the University of Texas (an institution that acts with class and dignity whenever difficult situations arise). You are an embarrassment to Texas fans like DVauthrin who support their school with pride and a touch of class in recognizing that BOTH schools are excellent institutions and that football isn't everything.

You are an embarrassment and a disgrace. Your lack of understanding the situation for what it is (that when you have 2 good programs it is cyclical) and your bravado make you look like a jackass and a fool.

You really aren't worth anymore of my time.

 

First off, let me state that my dad is an Aggie and I have spent my entire life watching A&M football. I have swayed in unison at Kyle singing the War Hymn after beating OU in 1999. So forgive me for ever sounding a little bit biased towards A&M. Now let me say this:

If the Aggies go 10-3 next year I will personally run naked through the snow in minus 50 degree temperatures here in Fairbanks, thereby enduring the worst case of shrinkage known to mankind as my punishment for doubting them.

I want them to do well as much as the next guy, but I honestly think it will be a couple years before they seriously contend with Texas and OU for the south title. Simply too much catching up to do for now. The basics are in place (McNeal, etc.) but they will probably need to fill some other spots up.

 

I agree with your post...except for the running naked in the snow part.

 

I'm sick of hearing about TAMU's top 5 recruiting class.

Do me a favor, and go look at the quality of the recruits. They have a lot of early commitments of good quality. As far as "quality of average recruit" goes, they're somewhere in the teens.

Even my Aggie recruiting-buff friends have admitted this.

You don't win championships w/tons of good talent.

 

So, what you're saying is that all the publications who make their living by following recruiting and rating recruiting classes are just flat out wrong for saying the Aggies currently have a top 5 recruiting class?

There's a reason for it. Quantity does matter!

Coming out of high school, its extremely hard to judge the potential of these kids - much harder than judging the potentional of college kids in the pros. If you have more talented recruits, you have more of a chance of finding kids who have potential to fill. While ratings of these players are also important, I think having a larger pool of talent to choose from is just as important.

 

DCkid:

Think.

There are different ratings for different things. TAMU took the same approach Penn St. did for a few years. Snap up tons of good players early on... but there's one thing about those Penn St. classes: they always slumped towards the end, as the other teams caught up on quantity and surpassed them in quality. Moreover, these classes are always suspect because there's often a reason why the kids in question committed early.

Moreover, even then, they were overrated, since the recruiting services tend to be hesitant to "drop" the early leaders too far.

So, while, yes, if TAMU really was going to get more recruits than anybody else, we'd all be in trouble. But they're not. They just have more right now. I believe Texas does have fewer scholarships to offer this year. But, then, they just offered those scholarships in other years... and got higher quality recruits.

Don't be excited about a ranking that's propped up by a strategy that hasn't worked in the past. If you guys get a real gem, or two... that'll put you guys in good position. But the class is without the spectacular players, at the moment, that would make it truly great.

Incidentally, anyone who "thinks" TAMU will beat UT next year is delusional. You can hope... you can want... but you shouldn't "think" that will happen yet, Rocketfan. Not when you've just been humiliatingly crushed by a team with tremendous advantages in personel. That's homerism at its worst.

 

You OBVIOUSLY haven't been reading the posts by not so gr8-1.

 

Yep. But they also lose sammy davis, Kiel, Gamble, etc. And, whatever atm recruited, it was always sub standard compared to what UT recruited. UT, the "diverse" tier one University gets what they want, and atm may get the rest. a$m is in for 4 long years. Agricultural schools don't do well in recruiting urban kids these days. Mack owns Texas.


Yes, and those recruits have gotten us so far... OU won a national title with random scrub recruits from the John Blake era. Tech beat us with no heralded recruiting classes. Colorado and K-State are awesome without any spectacular recruiting classes. You'd think after 4 years of top-5 recruiting classes, we'd realize that it doesn't take phenomenal recruits to win.

Who the hell cares if we out-recruit them? If they out-coach us, they can still kick our butts.