LOPEZ: Football Stuck in 'Aggie Bermuda Triangle'
By John P. Lopez
Inevitably the last few years, the state of Aggie football comes down to a simple two words:
What happened?
From the days of glory, when you could pencil in the Aggies at or near the top of the conference and consider them a lock to be a top-10 contender nationally, the Aggies now are universally picked last in the Big 12 South for 2009.
Yet from 1990-1994, the Aggies posted a football record of 51-8-2.
Since, with a few notable exceptions of good spurts and one Big 12 title, Aggie football has been passed.
It seemingly made no sense.
In the early-'90s, the Longhorns were wallowing in mediocrity. The Sooners were average at best. The LSU Tigers were just plain awful.
So, what happened?
Why couldn't Aggie football use the momentum of being the premiere football program in the state and launch itself into Big 12 dominance?
Some folks point to the probation that led to a bowl-less 10-0-1 season in 1994 as what derailed momentum.
Some have said the Southwest Conference did not help the Aggies gain national footing because the SWC was weak.
Many mention a dearth in talent during that era, pointing to the best players going out-of-state.
But if that really was the case, the NFL must not have gotten the memo. Some 33 Aggies got drafted from 1990-1994 -- including seven first-rounders.
In truth, there was a simple reason for the fall. There's a simple way to recovery, too.
I call it the Aggie Bermuda Triangle (and, no, you trollers out there, an Aggie Triangle does not mean it was square or a hexagon).
To the north, Oklahoma. To the east, LSU. To the west, Texas.
The Aggies are locked in, trapped, wallowing in tumultuous waters, by three well-funded, hungry, major players. It is almost a perfect triangle of big-time programs now taking away many of the great players that once should have belonged to the Aggies.
Coinciding with the change in the football power structure was entrance into the Big 12, where recruiting immediately got much more vicious.
The Sooners, Tigers and Longhorns all passed the Aggies because they all had one thing in common:
Easy majors.
Whether "communications," "education" or any name they wanted to slap on those majors -- "Bengal Tiger Grooming?" -- athletes could enroll more easily, take general studies-type courses and an abundance of easy electives.
Since a major could be declared, degree plans also could be groomed with easier courses and heavy electives, all the way through a player's junior years.
Most important, they could stay eligible.
Seriously, now. Even the staunchest Longhorn out there has to wonder how some of their greatest players managed to stay on the field. That was how. And it still is.
At the same time, most A&M football players who could not get into business school, or education, or anything, found the easiest degree plan to be in the Ag College.
Show me an inner-city athlete who dreams of someday getting an Ag degree, and I'll show you something more rare than Paris Hilton going stag.
The Aggies have since rectified this problem. Degree plans now are more realistic and workable for special admission students or GPAs not strong enough to get into other colleges.
There now are options other than, as R.C. Slocum -- the unfortunate victim of this impossible recruiting task -- once told me, "choking chickens."
The next step is to catch up on the recruiting trail and break through the triangle once and for all.
It is not impossible.
It is, however, imperative to out-recruit every other school in the triangle.
Hiring Tim Cassidy was a big step in the right direction and Mike Sherman has done nothing if not impress despite the three other huge programs getting an equally huge headstart.
Here's something just as important: Every Aggie should support repealing the top 10-percent regulation for automatic admissions into Texas A&M.
The more top 10-percent students get admitted automatically, the less room there is for special admissions. And let's just be honest here: That means fewer top-tier athletes admitted.
Neither would this be sacrificing A&M's academic standards or reputation.
In fact, if it is diversity and "whole students" the university wants, some of the brightest and most creative minds often fail to make it into the top 10-percent of their high school classes.
Some really kick-ass linebackers do, too.
Want to read John's blog on other sports topics?- Click Here
What happened?
From the days of glory, when you could pencil in the Aggies at or near the top of the conference and consider them a lock to be a top-10 contender nationally, the Aggies now are universally picked last in the Big 12 South for 2009.
|
|
Mike Sherman / TexAgs.com
|
Since, with a few notable exceptions of good spurts and one Big 12 title, Aggie football has been passed.
It seemingly made no sense.
In the early-'90s, the Longhorns were wallowing in mediocrity. The Sooners were average at best. The LSU Tigers were just plain awful.
So, what happened?
Why couldn't Aggie football use the momentum of being the premiere football program in the state and launch itself into Big 12 dominance?
Some folks point to the probation that led to a bowl-less 10-0-1 season in 1994 as what derailed momentum.
Some have said the Southwest Conference did not help the Aggies gain national footing because the SWC was weak.
Many mention a dearth in talent during that era, pointing to the best players going out-of-state.
But if that really was the case, the NFL must not have gotten the memo. Some 33 Aggies got drafted from 1990-1994 -- including seven first-rounders.
In truth, there was a simple reason for the fall. There's a simple way to recovery, too.
I call it the Aggie Bermuda Triangle (and, no, you trollers out there, an Aggie Triangle does not mean it was square or a hexagon).
To the north, Oklahoma. To the east, LSU. To the west, Texas.
The Aggies are locked in, trapped, wallowing in tumultuous waters, by three well-funded, hungry, major players. It is almost a perfect triangle of big-time programs now taking away many of the great players that once should have belonged to the Aggies.
Coinciding with the change in the football power structure was entrance into the Big 12, where recruiting immediately got much more vicious.
The Sooners, Tigers and Longhorns all passed the Aggies because they all had one thing in common:
Easy majors.
Whether "communications," "education" or any name they wanted to slap on those majors -- "Bengal Tiger Grooming?" -- athletes could enroll more easily, take general studies-type courses and an abundance of easy electives.
Since a major could be declared, degree plans also could be groomed with easier courses and heavy electives, all the way through a player's junior years.
Most important, they could stay eligible.
|
|
Mack Brown / ESPN.com
|
At the same time, most A&M football players who could not get into business school, or education, or anything, found the easiest degree plan to be in the Ag College.
Show me an inner-city athlete who dreams of someday getting an Ag degree, and I'll show you something more rare than Paris Hilton going stag.
The Aggies have since rectified this problem. Degree plans now are more realistic and workable for special admission students or GPAs not strong enough to get into other colleges.
There now are options other than, as R.C. Slocum -- the unfortunate victim of this impossible recruiting task -- once told me, "choking chickens."
The next step is to catch up on the recruiting trail and break through the triangle once and for all.
It is not impossible.
It is, however, imperative to out-recruit every other school in the triangle.
Hiring Tim Cassidy was a big step in the right direction and Mike Sherman has done nothing if not impress despite the three other huge programs getting an equally huge headstart.
Here's something just as important: Every Aggie should support repealing the top 10-percent regulation for automatic admissions into Texas A&M.
The more top 10-percent students get admitted automatically, the less room there is for special admissions. And let's just be honest here: That means fewer top-tier athletes admitted.
Neither would this be sacrificing A&M's academic standards or reputation.
In fact, if it is diversity and "whole students" the university wants, some of the brightest and most creative minds often fail to make it into the top 10-percent of their high school classes.
Some really kick-ass linebackers do, too.
Want to read John's blog on other sports topics?- Click Here
