SMU, SEC, and Other Ramblings.

Let me start by saying this one is absurdly long even by my own stupid standards. I wouldn't read it unless you just can't help it. ok. here it goes...

I’m not sure I really understand the basis for the theory that they world is going to end in 2012. Something about Aztecs or Mayans or Nostradomus or something. Whatever the reasons, I keep hearing that 2012 is the year, so we better win the football championship this year. The world is going to end. Admittedly, this is not the first time we thought the whole thing was going to end. I did a little internetting and found that this "end of days" thing has been predicted fairly regularly since the 1500's. Starting in the 20th century the predictions sometimes include aliens, which I think is a nice touch. Hell, based on what all my Republican friends were saying after the 2008 election, I thought we were going to be done in a couple of years ago. But here we stand.

For now.

You see, now the folks in Waco are predicting that the Ags leaving the Big 12 may just cause the end of the world in 2012. They could be right. And in spite of Governor Perry’s reassurances to the contrary, even I am finding it hard to completely dismiss the possibility of global warming since it’s a million degrees outside. Seems a little hellish. And tell me that someone named “Lady Gaga” wearing a dress made of raw meat, and getting accolades for it, isn't some kind of a sign. Even if it’s not the end of the world, these are strange times indeed. And yet, here we all are.

For now.

I have a theory (and why shouldn’t I). I really think God does plan to end things around here eventually, but not before he answers my third prayer of every night from the last several years. Here's my standard prayer list:

1. Dear God, please bless and protect my family, friends, people in the military, Christians everywhere, whoever you deem fit to enter your kingdom, and any of the Hippies in Austin willing to admit their mistake.
2. If it’s really not ok with you that I’m such a jack-ass, please help me change. However, I'll need some kind of a sign or I'm plowing ahead just like yesterday.
3. And for the love of God please, dear Lord, before the end of the world, let the Ags win a national championship in any of the varsity outdoor men’s contact sports involving the use of an oblong ball. Please. And I don't mean rugby. It's gotta be football to count.

The truth is that it’s been a long time since the Ags brought home that kind of hardware for football. The first, last and only national championship for football for the Ags was in 1939. As I understand it they didn’t even have a trophy back then. Each player was just given a pack of Lucky Strikes and a bus ticket home for the holidays.

It’s actually shaping up to be a heck of a season so far considering it hasn't even started. Heading into the first game we’re still undefeated and have had no season ending injuries to speak of. Most of the prognosticators have ranked A&M variously between #8 and #12 in the country. The schedule lines up favorably except for a road trip to Norman to play the #1 ranked Sooners and a potential trap game in Lubbock. Fans are feeling a wave of excitement about joining the SEC in 2012. And not coincidentally, for the first time at A&M we have sold out of season tickets. There is a lot of excitement in Aggieland.

And there’s that little matter of the team. I’ll try to be brief here so there’s more time for my meandering stream of consciousness ramblings.

Offense – I’m very comfortable saying we have the best overall collection of skill-position talent in the Big 12, and maybe the country. I believe every one of them will get drafted into the NFL. Senior WR Jeff Fuller will be an All-American and go in the top 10 in this spring's draft. Senior QB Ryan Tannehill is as good as anyone in the conference and has the size, skill and intelligence to play in the league. Both of our tailbacks are NFL type guys. Senior Cyrus Gray is blazing fast 6-0 205 lb shifty back and Junior RB Christine Michael is a 5-11, 221 lb can of whoopass just waiting to obliterate anyone in his way. The O-line is extremely talented and will be a tough match-up for everyone we play. And we have depth. When asked what his biggest concerns were on offense, Mike Sherman stated,”Well, we’re not sure who our #3 tailback is going to be yet.” You gotta like that.

Defense –Probably the biggest coup in recruiting this year was keeping defensive coordinator Tim Deruyter from taking a head coaching job somewhere else. Last year’s unit finished ranked at just #50 in overall defense, but that was an improvement of 50 spots from the prior year. Statistics tells us we should have the # 1 overall defense in the country this year. Well, bad statistics and some help from those little bottles of liquor you get on the airplane. In the second year in Deruyter's system I expect to see a much more consistent command of the defense from the players in general. I also expect to see blitzes coming from all over the field instead of just watching Von Miller blow past people all season long (yawn...). We only lost three starters from last year’s unit and have added a lot of valuable depth along the line and in the linebacking corps. The secondary should be the strength of this defense with a lot of returning experienced playmakers. Keep an eye on Stephen Campbell, Trent Hunter, Dustin Harris and Coryell Judie.

Special Teams – OK. We’re probably not going to be great here. The kicking should be good. The return game could be great. But, we’re unsettled at punter and I won’t believe we’ve got coverage figured out until I see it with my own eyes. We recruited a great punter in the spring, but he missed most of fall camp with an injury.

I think we’re in better shape as a team than we’ve been since 1998. Every team needs a little luck to win it all. We’ll need a little more than some others might, but it’s shaping up to be a very good season.

And now on to the SEC question. What an interesting summer this has been. The media appears split on the issue of our pending departure. Many writers are chastising and in some cases condemning the Ags for ostensibly destroying the Big 12. Other writers are correctly pointing to the greed coming out of Austin for continually weakening and, ultimately, destroying the conference. Either way, we’re gone. The Big 12 will try to add one or more new members, but will still probably be disbanded within a few years. What matters most in musical chairs is that you have a chair when the music stops. We’re ensuring that have a good one playing in college football's finest host cities like Auburn, Baton Rouge, Knoxville, and Tuscaloosa. Baylor, on the other hand, will be playing in towns like Fort Collins, Laramie, Boise, Reno and Albuquerque.

What about tu? I’ve been surprised at the ambivalence on both sides to the question of the Thanksgiving rivalry with tu continuing after 2011. Lots of people are ready to call it quits and never play them again. “We’ll just play LSU or Arkansas on Thanksgiving.” Personally I’d like it to continue playing tu because I can’t imagine trying to use a chainsaw on a Hog or a Tiger. But then again, I can’t imagine staying on the Titanic that is the Big 12 just so we can continue to play the sips every year. That’s not like staying in a bad marriage for the kids. It’s like staying in a bad marriage for the tax benefits. It's just not worth it.

So my belief is that right now is just the wrong time to decide the fate of the rivalry. We need to let things cool down so it’s not strictly an emotional decision. The Ags have expressed an interest in continuing the 117 year tradition. The ball is now in tu’s court. We’ll see what happens. I can say, with some certainty, that this is going to be on hell of a Thanksgiving game in College Station.

But until then it is finally time

for

the

First Game !!!!!

So what about SMU? We’ll host the SMU mustangs on Sunday, September 3rd in the evening. It could be a pretty good game, really. June Jones was brought in to resurrect the program and he seems to be on the right track. I can’t name a single player on their roster and I don't know what their record was last year. I did watch them play TCU tight for a half last year in Dallas. I don’t know if that counts as research or not, but I did a little statistical "research" over the weekend. I’m actually writing this on a plane back from Vegas and while I was there I checked the spread on the A&M SMU game. I know you can get that on-line, but I'm shooting for authenticity here. The odds makers like the Ags in this one. Ags favored by 16.5. I didn’t bet on that game, but I did put $20 on the Ags to win it all at 30:1.

And the Tailgate? Oh, we’ll have a little somethin’, somethin’ going on for the game. Believe it or not Tim and I are going down on Thursday night to make sure we get all our junk in place on Friday for a game on Sunday. I guess we’ll cook on Saturday some, but Sunday is the big time I expect all of you to be there. Why not, right? A Sunday night game on a holiday weekend is just an invitation to barbecue. Expect a little bit of everything, a great crowd and a good time.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Gig ‘em and Beat the Hell Outta SMU!

Chuck ‘96

P.S. We have a facebook presence. Look for "The Aggie Tailgate".

How Aggie Football Ruined My Life

While I was in school at dear old A&M I had what you might call occasional "grade abnormalities". We were just so darn good during that period I couldn't help but watch every game. I guess if there was any upside to what happened to Aggie Football from 1996 to 2009 it was that it allowed me to concentrate on my work at least a little. Yeah, there was the 1998 season in there, but I was living in Wisconsin so I missed it. That's Big 10 country and there's not a lot of Aggie football on TV up there.

But now... Now I'm screwed. I can't concentrate on work and now is not the time for me to take a breather. Not only are the Ags in the pre-season top ten for the first time since 1999, there's also all the drama about leaving for the SEC. In case you aren't completely obsessed with the Big 12 and college football in general here's a quick rundown.

- t.u. struck a deal with ESPN for $300 Million over 20 years for the Longhorn Network.

- t.u. told the conference that they were only going to put one t.u. game on the network each year

- ESPN announced that they were going to air high school football games of recruits that t.u. was targeting.

- everyone got mad and rumors started circulating that we were headed to the SEC

- t.u. said "we didn't know about the high school games" and "we want what's best for the conference" and "ESPN controls all the programming stuff"

- through a Freedom of Information Act request, the contract with ESPN has been made public.

- the contract makes it clear that t.u. always intended to air high school games, always intended to air more than one football game, and has been making plans to be an independent (ala Notre Dame)

- moreover, t.u. has editorial rights over ESPN and ESPN must place them in a positive light.

Drama, drama, drama...

Mostly it just looks like t.u. is out for themselves and can't be trusted. As Gomer Pyle used to say "Surprise, Surprise, Surprise..."

Well, now it appears that the SEC and A&M have been in talks for a few weeks and the scuttlebutt in SEC country is that we're headed that way. Fans from all the Confederate states are talking about it. They seem generally pleased about the development.

No one seems to know what will happen to the A&M / t.u. rivalry if we leave. I imagine all of the other rivalries are dead (Baylor, Tech, OU). t.u. may declare that if we leave the conference we can no longer play t.u. in football. Hard to imagine, but so is a downgrade of U.S. sovereign debt. No one is sure what will happen.

Personally I like the idea of playing Alabama, Auburn, Ol' Miss, LSU, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. I think it sounds like a lot of fun.

Anyway, I thought an update was in order so I could get back to work.

The players reported to Fall camp yesterday. They start practicing tonight. It's almost here. 26 Days 'til Aggie Football, Baby!

Gig 'em,

Chuck