beerad12man said:

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The statistical difference between the 2024 and 2025 schedules is less than half a game. Always severely overplayed. Our 2024 team playing the 2025 schedule goes either 7-5 or 8-4.

Auburn and South Carolina become easier. Auburn likely flips to a win. Notre dame and Texas still losses. LSU and Arkansas the big unknowns.

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Pittman will be hanging on by a thread at Ark (he'll get a "vote of confidence" from the AD) and A&M will come into Fayetteville on a hot win streak and completely wet the bed.

Mizzu will not be good next season.

beerad12man said:

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I am currently predicting 8-4, but there's also plenty of reasons for optimism going into year 2. I could see us doing 1-2 games worse. I could see us being a serious contender as a playoff team. Neither is outlandish.

As for player development? 90% of development happens during the offseason, and the biggest jump most tend to have is year one to year two.

When Kirby's 1st year team struggled, did you really think the judgement on him should be about how his first season ended? What about Sark? Saban? Most improvement happens during the offseason, and the biggest jump for most successful coaches is from year 1 to year 2. I can't even pretend to know if Elko will be seen among that group one day, but his story is far from being written here. No matter what happened in November.

I'd argue the fact that we were even 7-1 with this roster is quite enough reason to be excited. But no doubt the November finish puts a damper on that and makes you question things. It also isn't the end all be all, and I'd expect far bigger of an offseason jump than during the season. Off-season's are what makes or breaks coaches. Between player acquisitions and development.

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the USC and Auburn losses were really inexcusable.

10-3 sure sounds A LOT better than 8-5 for year one. Esp. since it was there for the taking and A&M fumbled it away.

agracer said:

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beerad12man said:

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I am currently predicting 8-4, but there's also plenty of reasons for optimism going into year 2. I could see us doing 1-2 games worse. I could see us being a serious contender as a playoff team. Neither is outlandish.

As for player development? 90% of development happens during the offseason, and the biggest jump most tend to have is year one to year two.

When Kirby's 1st year team struggled, did you really think the judgement on him should be about how his first season ended? What about Sark? Saban? Most improvement happens during the offseason, and the biggest jump for most successful coaches is from year 1 to year 2. I can't even pretend to know if Elko will be seen among that group one day, but his story is far from being written here. No matter what happened in November.

I'd argue the fact that we were even 7-1 with this roster is quite enough reason to be excited. But no doubt the November finish puts a damper on that and makes you question things. It also isn't the end all be all, and I'd expect far bigger of an offseason jump than during the season. Off-season's are what makes or breaks coaches. Between player acquisitions and development.

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the USC and Auburn losses were really inexcusable.

10-3 sure sounds A LOT better than 8-5 for year one. Esp. since it was there for the taking and A&M fumbled it away.

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Y2 will all be about how Fatko can mesh 30-40 new bodies into a team. That is a challenge. We will learn all we need to know about him in Y2

I actually feel much better about the offense next year after watching last night but we still need help with DT and the safety play has to improve. I think Chappell and Humphrey will improve CB/NB.

Hopefully the younger safeties will be ready to challenge for starting roles next year. We have the talent but it needs to translate to the field.

vander54 said:

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I actually feel much better about the offense next year after watching last night but we still need help with DT and the safety play has to improve. I think Chappell and Humphrey will improve CB/NB.

Hopefully the younger safeties will be ready to challenge for starting roles next year. We have the talent but it needs to translate to the field.

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Reed needs to improve a lot for the offense to get better.

He's still missing open guys or makes a bad choice on where to throw the football. Some of the RPO plays (or at least appear to be RPO) he keeps it to throw to no one when he should hand it off. Same on the zone read plays. He tore up LSU, then suddenly didn't want to run the ball anymore (probably sample bias, just going on my memory - seemed like after LSU I was saying to myself "he should have kept that" a lot).

His first INT was the right choice, he just threw a line drive instead of putting some air under the ball and letting the WR run to get it. He puts some air under it and it's a TD and 14-0. He did this multiple times this season.

agracer said:

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vander54 said:

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I actually feel much better about the offense next year after watching last night but we still need help with DT and the safety play has to improve. I think Chappell and Humphrey will improve CB/NB.

Hopefully the younger safeties will be ready to challenge for starting roles next year. We have the talent but it needs to translate to the field.

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Reed needs to improve a lot for the offense to get better.

He's still missing open guys or makes a bad choice on where to throw the football. Some of the RPO plays (or at least appear to be RPO) he keeps it to throw to no one when he should hand it off. Same on the zone read plays. He tore up LSU, then suddenly didn't want to run the ball anymore (probably sample bias, just going on my memory - seemed like after LSU I was saying to myself "he should have kept that" a lot).

His first INT was the right choice, he just threw a line drive instead of putting some air under the ball and letting the WR run to get it. He puts some air under it and it's a TD and 14-0. He did this multiple times this season.

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No doubt he needs to improve but I think he has gotten better as the year went on. This offseason will be huge for him. He doesn't need to be Heisman level just continue to improve. If he does that we should be very good on offense with our running game.

Offense should be much improved next year. If the WR additions are an improvement (which they should be) we will be very good

Three of the top five highest graded Texas A&M offensive players this season (min. 100 snaps) were offensive linemen, while the other two were running backs: Amari Daniels (78.3), Le'Veon Moss (77.0), Ar'maj Reed-Adams (76.0), Trey Zuhn III (74.6), Dametrious Crownover (74.2).

— Carter Karels (@CarterKarels) December 28, 2024