Not quite dead last
Published Friday, July 24, 2009 2:41 AM
robert.cessna@theeagle.com
View all Robert's Blogs
That 41-21 loss by the A&M football team at Baylor last year keeps raising its ugly head.
The Aggies, as expected, were picked to finish last in the South Division of the Big 12 preseason poll. But it just wasn’t that A&M was picked last. The Aggies almost were a consensus sixth-place finisher by the 32 voters. A&M garnered 33 points. That means 31 of the voters had A&M sixth on the ballot with one giving the Aggies a fifth-place vote (it wasn’t me). Conversely, Baylor had 75 points. That means the Bears got several fourth-place votes and maybe even a third-place vote.
What’s scary for the Aggies it that Baylor has had a lock on the South cellar since the league’s inception. This is a big step forward for the Bears. And this is the first time A&M has been picked to finish last.
A&M, though, isn’t the worst team in the league. Iowa State was a consensus last-place pick in the North. The Cyclones were named last on all 33 who filled out North ballots.
A&M and Iowa State will play on Halloween at Kyle Field, which isn’t shaping up as a thriller.
The Big 12 opted to have the Aggies and Cyclones on the first day of the three-day Big 12 Media Days next week in Dallas. Nebraska and Oklahoma State will be the featured teams Monday. Nebraska is picked to win the North, while Oklahoma State is a Top 25 team. A&M, though, is always a big draw in Dallas and the Aggies will get to promote their game at the Cowboys new stadium against Arkansas.
Oklahoma is Tuesday’s big draw, but the other teams — Missouri, Baylor and Kansas — certainly have storylines. Texas coach Mack Brown will end Wednesday’s session, making sure no one leaves early. I remember a few years ago when Baylor’s Guy Morriss was the last man standing on Media Days, which was a huge mistake. He talked to a just a handful of writers. KSU’s Bill Snyder will kickoff Wednesday’s session. The Big 12 better make sure there’s plenty of coffee or think about letting Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach go first. Having Leach and Colorado’s Dan Hawkins go back-to-back before Brown is a pretty solid ending, though, so getting a few extra winks at the expense of Snyder’s soft voice might not be that bad.
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Comments
19 comment(s) found!
Posted by: old.army On: 7/30/2009
Comment Title: I see the pipe...
Miller, you are surely smoking crack.
Posted by: miller58 On: 7/28/2009
Comment Title: RE ; first year records
My personal opinions:_____Bear recruited well his first class and beyond!_____Bear also won big his first year seperate swc fish team schedule, while losing his varsity schedule!_____Bear having good fish players made the difference!_____Emory recruited well his first class and beyond!_____Jackie recruited well his first class and beyond!_____Sherman has recruited terrible his first signing class, his second, and his third current and next years class, multiple offers for months, only one commit!_____75 sherman committed/signed players mostly slow, less athletic or less size, low ranked eligible to 2013 and beyond._____That is the difference in winning and losing in the future, 4 clases that not even one is just competitive with tu and ou, that is why Sherman must go!_____Good first year and beyond recruiting is why Bear, Emory and Jackie won future games, just terrible first year and beyond recruiting, is why Sherman is in and will stay in last place!_____ There is absolutely no hope for the future in these four classes?_____I can't even find a winning 1 deep defense in the 75 players_____miller58
Posted by: On: 7/28/2009
Comment Title: First season records...
Homer Norton 2-7-2... Went on to win the national championship in 1939. Bear Bryant 1-9... No comment necessary. Emory Bellard 3-8... Four top 20 finishes in seven seasons and the birth of the wrecking crew tradition. Jackie Sherrill 5-6... SWC championship in his fourth season. Seasons two and three were nothing to be happy about. Bottom line: it takes more than one season to establish a program. Give it a rest.
Posted by: Sister On: 7/27/2009
Comment Title: To the Anonymous Posters
I think you will all find that miller58 is closer to the truth than all of the sherman backers put together. Problem is, you will not be silenced until December so take your shots now then return in December under different names and tell the blog how you always knew it was coming.
Posted by: Class of 02 On: 7/27/2009
Comment Title: EASY THERE MILLER....
I KINDA NOTICE YOU ARE GETTING STRESSED OUT WITH ALL THESE COMMENTS. YOU ARE MAKING ALOT OF POINTS. JUST DON'T GET CARRIED AWAY ( YOU MIGHT SEND A WRONG MESSAGE). ANYWAYS, CORRECT ME MILLER IF I'M WRONG, I ONCE READ THAT WE ARE GOING ZERO WIN(S) THIS SEASON. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Posted by: On: 7/26/2009
Comment Title: Miller
How do you come up with some of this stuff?_____Do you have difficulty interpreting what you read in the paper?_____ Do you not understand football?_____ Or do you just have some really good drugs?______At any rate, I cherish each and every opportunity to read what you post._____Thanks for making my day...again.
Posted by: miller58 On: 7/26/2009
Comment Title: RE : WHAT KIND OF A HEAD COACH?
My personal opinions:_____What kind of a head coach, do I think Mike Sherman is?_____Old, unfamiliar with college spread option foodball defense or offense, unable to succssfully recruit and deal with today's top atletes successfully, still back in the last decade 90's, and will never catch up to todays football and I'll be happy to tell you what I really think, privately!_____After four signing classes, he obviously creates a last century "90's" atmosphere that doesn't relate and drives away most all the top recruits!_____Decommitting recruits committed to A&M with firm A&M offers in 2007, alienated Texas HIGH SCHOOL coaches____Finally 7 blow out loses, Arkansas state, and setting 3 all time records for futility at Kyle field, showed the game of college football has passed Mike by, in the past 13 years._____Reportedly, Mike was fired from Greenbay for two big reasons?_____One was his "inability to instill team discipline"!_____The second was Mikes " inability to evaluate player personel"!_____These two things resulted in Greenbay losing games over Mikes years there._____A coaching change at Greenbay, immediately upgraded these two areas and resulted in a championship for Greenbay in the second year after the change._____Mike was not selected at A&M because he was considered a "hot comodity" in the nfl or any colleges, just the opposite; but seemingly, was selected only because he was friends with McKinney, RC, amd some former players?_____Every year multiple D1 coaches are fired in their first year, and last year one first year D1 coach was fired only 6 games into his first season._____It will be best for A&M if Mike is replaced as soon as possible with a top coach who can come in and sign 10 to 22 difference makers his first full season, compete with ut and ou on the field in his second full season; and average signing 14 difference makers and compete for the mnc every year after that, just like tu and ou do now!____Just let Mike fade away into deserved retirement, holding those three all time records for futility at kyle Field._____Do not keep Mike on campus, to possibly foster a division among Ags, when the new coach arrives this year!_____miller58
Posted by: On: 7/26/2009
Comment Title: What kind of college head coach?
Miller, I think we do know what kind of college head coach Mike Sherman is. He is one that has walked in to a program at it's deepest point in about 35 years and is systematically and methodically rebuilding it. He has the coaching mind, the discipline, leadership, and mindset to tackle the challenge. We'll see this year about his staff after they have had a year to establish their strategy and schemes. He certainly recurited well last winter given the season we had. The '10 class will probably be a good one as well, after all of the ink is dried. We gave Sherrill four years and he took us to the Cotton Bowl. We gave Franchione five and he derailed a program that was already on its way down when he stepped in. So it's a crapshoot. You don't want to give Sherman two? Get real.
Posted by: miller58 On: 7/25/2009
Comment Title: SHERMAN'S TERRIBLE COACHING AND EVEN WORSE RECRUITING!
My personal opinions:_____After Sherman losing 20 offers in just the past 16 weeks to big 12 opponents and others, expect us to be dead last for years!_____miller58
Posted by: On: 7/24/2009
Comment Title: Posting Legibly
Miller, if you are going to continue to post at least make them legible. We don't need to see all of those underlines. And you don't need to begin every post with "My personal opinions" - you are posting a comment in an online forum, so you are simply stating the obvious.
Posted by: Longhorn Hater On: 7/24/2009
Comment Title: Thinking about Fran's guys
While on his watch, didn't we have like a dozen players arrested? Didn't some of his recruits end up in the five star prison system? Didn't we go through 2 defensive coordinators on his watch? And what the hell happened to the talent of Reggie McNeil under Fran's watch? All wasted. Anymore suggestions, Miller?
Posted by: WacoAg On: 7/24/2009
Comment Title: We don't know about Sherman yet
The truth of the matter is we don't yet know what kind of college head coach Mike Sherman is. Last year, he stepped into a situation with a demoralized team and ridiculed program (newsletter)and had to gather the reins of a disaster. I for one, believe he deserves the benefit of the doubt. Otherwise, we'll just be starting over after next season or the next. Who wants that? I bet we all hope he wins - say 7 this year - I would call that real progress. I'm 55 and I could outrun some of the defensive guys Fran recruited.
Posted by: On: 7/24/2009
Comment Title: Poll
I got a kick out of the poll next to the article. Which bowl are we going to be in?? Give me a break. As long as we have a Sherman coached team you can count on the toliet bowl
Posted by: miller58 On: 7/24/2009
Comment Title: RE : CinterL
My personal opinions:_____CinterL, Sherman's reruit, 4* corner Judie did not enroll either the first or second term this summer?_____miller58
Posted by: CinterL On: 7/24/2009
Comment Title: Miller you wrong and stop posting half truths!!!
Miller you are the one who always blame things on the aggie spin machine, but you are the biggest spinner in the world. You say we have all these difference makers on the team. What you fail to grasp is that while fran did get some 4* "difference makers" a lot did not even qualify to get on campous, or had medical problems and had to leave. Also Sherman now has 6 4* in this current recruiting class, and a very good commit for next years class. also he looks like he will get at least 2-3 more 4* bring us close to 10. This after a 4-8 season is amazing!!! What you need to understand is you are being unreasonable, and no one wants to listen to you BS anymore. I never want to be rude to you, but you simple will not listen to reason from anyone. Like the simple saying goes, "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all". But i don't expect you to be that civilized anyway.
Posted by: miller58 On: 7/24/2009
Comment Title: RE : it may not be as bad as it looks
My personal opinions:_____The sad part about it is A&M was on the way up, when the Sherman disaster happened!_____A&M had Won 7 and 9 regular season games?_____A&M had beaten tu twice in a row?_____A&M actually committed 14 four and five star difference makers, and the previous coach was bringing up to 20 difference makers to the '09 season!_____It's a matter of public record!____We were finally getting rid of the last class of RC's, and finally had room for all these difference makers on defense>_____Today we would have had sophmore difference makers at every defensive position!_____But instead we have a coach that can't carry he previous coaches jock, 75 players in four classes signed by sherman eligible thru 2012, that are mostly low ranked tu leftovers that are mostl too slow to play winning big 12 football.____Expect us to be in last place and lose more games than we win, until we change coaches, this year I expect?_____miller58
Posted by: On: 7/24/2009
Comment Title: It may not be as bad as it looks
It should get better with the players we have if Sherman is any good. I can imagine when a coach walks into a program that's down it usually takes some time to revive it. Can anybody think of a football program that had been down for five years and a coach came in and turned it around the following year? It probably is a short list. I'm sure this also was a function of how good the coach recruited during that five years before.
Posted by: 08Challenger On: 7/24/2009
Comment Title: Fire
Seeing us picked last in the Big 12 makes me want to light myself on fire.
Posted by: miller58 On: 7/24/2009
Comment Title: A&M HAS A VERY EASY SCHEDULE AND MORE PLAYER TALENT THAN 10 TEAMS ON THIS SCHEDULE?
My personal opinions:_____It's the coaching that has us in last place, folks!_____Despite the drop in our talent pool due to Sherman's worse recruiting, look at the very soft schedule?_____TEN TEAMS WE SHOULD BEAT BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE MORE PLAYER TALENT:_____Ranked #116 utah state_____#106 new mexico_____#95 UAB_____#91 isu_____#76 k state_____#66 baylor_____#46 arkansas_____#41 colorado_____#31 tech_____#10 okie lite?_____tu and ou have more talent, but with good coaching we could beat them, too!_____BECAUSE WE HAVE WORSE COACHING, EXPECT US TO LOSE MORE GAMES THAN WE WIN?_____miller58