Hoosegow said:
I know, I'm a 2%er, but that tceh game is when I stopped watching Aggie football. I still pay a little attention, but watching Zach Thomas run into the end zone after catching an interception and after kicking their tales all game long and watching RC go into that dam prevent D for 1.5 quarters... that was the end.
You have a good reason to cease devoting time to Aggie Football. Over 25 years later,
the program hasn't changed that much. Or hasn't gained that much put another way.
You can argue it got worse once we got rid of the SWC doormats. Or argue the doormats weren't always bad. Either way, someone will argue.
6 coaches in 25 years. 3 coaches (RC, Sumlin, Elko) with double digit wins only 3 times. Coaches average about 4.5 years at A&M
in that timeframe but this is skewed due to year two under Elko and 1999 being RCs third to last year. The longevity of coaches is more evenly matched at lasting 6 years in Aggieland when factoring in RC's full tenure.
Coaching success in terms of winning percentage from RC to Elko (Obviously showing RC's full record split between BigXII and SWC since it isn't fair to cut his tenure short for three years)
- RC Total: 72%
- RC Conference: 72%
- RC Total (SWC): 80%
- RC Conference (SWC): 84%
- RC Total (Big XII): 63%
- RC Conference (Big XII): 61%
- Fran Total: 53%
- Fran Conference: 48%
- Sherman Total: 50%
- Sherman Conference: 45%
- Sumlin Total: 66%
- Sumlin Conference: 52%
- Fisher Total: 64%
- Fisher Conference: 56%
- Elko Total: 73% (2 year sample size)
- Elko Conference: 75% (2 year sample size)
The numbers show after A&M left the SWC, each A&M coach is on average about middle of the pack in the Big XII and SEC. Sometimes this means nothing if you win a natty like Larry Coker and fall off for the rest of your tenure. Heck, Larry reeled off 3 conf championships in a row before he started sucking.
But A&M hasn't come close that level of success.
No conference championships. The tie for the south division with Sherm doesn't count since A&M didn't play for the title. Winning 38% of bowls/postseason play. Nobody needs to waste time on the Covid Orange bowl against UNC/Mack. That was a consolation prize for getting jobbed in the playoff seeding because name-brand teams put asses in front of TVs better than Texas A&M does. FACT.
Talent has come and gone. Though A&M has put what seems like a lot more athletes into the NFL, prepping for the NFL is secondary to Aggie Football's strategic mission of being the best college football program in America as demonstrated by multiple years of very, very high success. Meaning conference titles and a national title at least once in the last 26 years.
A Heisman and new stadium were squandered. Bright Complex didn't translate to more success either really. Whatever spark 2012 gave A&M fizzled out due to incompetence in all aspects of leadership. FrankenKyle Field is only good for more visitors coming to CS to be able to watch their team (more often than not) beat A&M thanks to digital ticket resellers and crusty old Ags exercising their right to sell season tickets.
Concessions cost more. Tickets cost more. The Aggie Football weekend experience costs more.
TLDR: Aggie football underperforms given the resources over the last quarter of a century. Some people discover healthy things other than Aggie football and some people like the pain and frustration. Maybe Elko will be different but don't count on it.
