The Day After: Texas A&M 11, Kansas 19

After predicting that the Aggies would beat
Kansas, I admit that I underestimated the Jayhawks. The score was only 19-11, but Kansas dominated us in all fronts of the game. Their defense absolutely shut down our run, and while our passing game put up 200+ yards, that was during garbage time. McGee and company had nowhere to go with the triple option. It was maddening to watch our coaching staff call running plays play after play that led to three and outs until it was too late in the game. Even though the score was 0-0 by halftime, you had a feeling that the Jayhawks were about to let loose, and sure enough, they poured it on the third quarter. Their running back Anderson just tore us apart in that quarter, and it was over.

If the Miami and Texas Tech games didn’t show it, the Kansas game revealed what we are: a Top 40 team. A Top 40 team puts up big numbers against cupcake teams, but they lose all the high-lighted games on the schedule. Now and then when they’re playing at home or feeling particularly inspired they might pull a surprise upset against a ranked team here and there, but there’s never the feeling that the team is sustaining any consistent momentum to eventually become a conference champion and then eventually a national champion. That’s what we are right now: a Top 40 team. In the upcoming games against Missouri, Oklahoma, and t.u. (especially t.u.), there’s a sense that we might be able to stay competitive in all three and perhaps even steal one, but I don’t think anyone thinks that the Aggies will run the tables.

At the very least, with the money that Franchione is making and the tradition, facilities, and the backyard recruiting in the state of Texas that Texas A&M has, you want to be a Top 15 team. A Top 15 team is a team like Missouri. A Top 15 team not only beats up on the cupcakes, but there’s a feeling that they could potentially vie for the national championship. When they beat a Top 5 team it’s a good feeling but not a total shock, and when they lose to another Top 15 team it’s a total letdown. When you’re a Top 15 team, even the Top 1 team gets a little nervous facing you on Saturday. After Franchione is replaced, I think Aggie fans will expect a Top 15 team within 2-3 years.

In 3-4 years, I’d want us to have a Top 5 team. A Top 5 team is a team like Oklahoma. A Top 5 team puts the fear of God into the cupcakes, and they run up the score to Madden levels to keep the fear intact. A Top 5 team expects to win the national championship, and winning the conference title is a given. A Top 5 team wins the game against its big rival, and it reloads with a group of Top 10 recruits. It becomes a Top 5 Program whose mascot or logo is recognizable to even someone living in Hickville, Montana. A Top 5 team thrashes gimmicky teams like Texas Tech who put up monster yards against teams like Southern Texas McNeese Northern State but can’t do anything against the real deal. Besides the actual Top 5 ranking, I’ll know that Texas A&M will have finally arrived when we’re destroying Mike Leach’s teams year after year in College Station and Lubbock. I hate Texas Tech.

Next update: Wednesday