We all wanted to beat Texas, but we didn't, which really sucked. However, I have been thinking about this a lot, and have to come to realize this may be what's best for this team.

- Marcel Reed gets an extra week for his ankle.
Marcel Reed got hurt, yes he came back the next drive, but he played the rest of that game injured. He ran the ball a couple times after that, and didn't look to hobbled, but those of us that have had similar injuries know, he was feeling pain with every step.

- Home playoff game
We won't get a bye, but it's likely we will get a home playoff game. If we are able to get the 5 or 6, with 6 seeming most likely, we will play a GO5 team, or the ACC champ. That would be a game with all of the hype of a playoff game, but against a far inferior team. Getting that win will instill confidence into the players that we desperately need.

- second round
With a win, we would have had a bye week in the first round, and our first taste of the playoffs would be a neutral site game against a really good team. I am of the opinion that late season bye weeks don't help, and can kill your momentum. Unless you have an important player that needs to heal an injury (like Marcel reed during conference championship week) a bye week can actually do more bad than good for a college football team. However now, assuming we win round 1, we will be coming off a huge playoff home win, with all the momentum restored back into the program.

- Worst case scenario
Worst case scenario, is we end up at 8, or even worse 9, and have to play Notre Dame, or Oklahoma. Those are really tough first round games, and with a win, we would then go to play Ohio State. This route is daunting, and would take a massive effort to overcome.

- Bottom Line
This loss has granted us the opportunity to play a home playoff game, against a team that everyone knows has no business playing with the rest of the field. We will likely get to notch a playoff victory onto our bet for the first time in program history. Then, the players and fan base will be re-engaged, giving us the momentum we need to make a run.





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One more thing, I'm not celebrating losing to Texas, I wish we won, of course.

Agreed, and I will add you don't take a beating physically against UGA. You stay healthier. Wanted a trophy? Yes, but I will take the current scenario.

83Aggie said:

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Agreed, and I will add you don't take a beating physically against UGA. You stay healthier. Wanted a trophy? Yes, but I will take the current scenario.

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UGA is in the game becoae we choked.
We would have played Bama and I liked our chances against them until
I saw the team tha showed up in Austin.

Yep, had them flipped, point is the same. Stay healthier by missing the game.

I would love to play ou.
They have a good defense but their offense is putrid.

I hate losing to Texas as much as anyone and wish we had won.
However, that not being the case I think the best scenario at this time is for us to be ranked either fifth or sixth with the home-field advantage.
We need a confidence builder game before we move further down the line in the playoffs after the disastrous performance in Austin.
With the first round of playoffs beginning December 19 and 20 that gives us plenty of time for players to get healthy.

OP, I get that, but when you've gone 27 years without a conference championship and you narrowly miss out on the chance to play for one in back to back years, that's tough. Playoff this, playoff that . . . a conference championship is still a really big deal.

I'd argue that being the 6th or 7th seed is the best seed. I want whatever seed leads into playing Indiana. Assuming they lose to Ohio State, they'll likely be #3 if Georgia wins and #2 if Alabama wins.

What's with all the losing rationalizing lately? It's not okay to lose to Texas, full stop. The season continues for us, but it's not okay to lose to texas. sure as hell ain't a blessing to lose to them.

More cope

No

There is no scenario where losing to texas is a blessing. None. Stop the desperate cope.

texag101 said:

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There is no scenario where losing to texas is a blessing. None. Stop the desperate cope.

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l agree it will never be a blessing but the team is still in the playoffs with an opportunity to keep going. I was hoping for a win but it didn't happen. Reminds me of last year with my two tOSU sons. They were mad that their team had just lost for the third consecutive year to Michigan but recovered quickly with the playoff outcomes

texag101 said:

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There is no scenario where losing to texas is a blessing. None. Stop the desperate cope.

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It's easier if you just say that "there is no scenario where losing is ever a blessing..." At that point, you have one goal regardless of the team...

We were on the verge of greatness and once again crapped the bed instead

Eventually we have to stop with the Copium and accept this program is forever cursed to be Charlie Brown trying to kick the football for all eternity

Just stop thinking about it and hope for the best in the CFP.

Let's see if Elko can get the team turned back around and focusing on the next game.

It's more than Marcels ankle that needs to get right. He needs to get back to fundamentals. Hes gotten increasingly careless with the ball as the year has progressed.

This team has not played well the last two games of the year that really count (excluding Samford). We were extremely fortunate to come back against South Carolina and obviously this week's game against tu, especially the 2nd half, was not good to say the least.

This is our first opportunity in the midst of some adversity to see if the $11 million / year that Elko just got was a good investment. I sure hope it was, but our recent track record on extending head coaches has been less than stellar.

Warsteiner said:

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I would love to play ou.
They have a good defense but their offense is putrid.

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Yeah, but I'm sure we'll find a way to let them over-perform

That ship has sailed as he thinks he's a pro passer and he's not (progressions are very inconsistent).

What has been unfair to Marcel is that OL hasn't progressed (frankly underperformed last few wks) and we still don't have a rock solid 5 OL causing the running game to be mediocre.

Truly need Moss back at 100% as hes the most complete athlete on the team (just don't believe he can really get back from knee w/in same season and be the same RB threat…he's the reason we beat ND).

Elko will tell u differently but he's paid to market and try to upsell the program (and that's expected). But the tram has issues and can get bounced if we don't get healthy and change part of our scheme.

We weren't winning the SEC championship without Moss.

Conference championships don't mean **** anymore once the playoffs started.

Nobody brags about winning the AFC West anymore, doesn't mean dick.

I truly believe after Marcel turned his ankle they coached to keep it close but a win could hurt worse. Now Marcel doesn't have to answer questions. Had we won and he needed to sit out title game that would have given even more doubt after the SEC championship game.

11-1 is no different that 12-1 or 13-0 frankly.

Not in 12 team playoff.

Its also a wakeup call for team before the playoffs start. You dont bring your A - Game and you're going home.

King of the Dairy Queen said:

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What's with all the losing rationalizing lately? It's not okay to lose to Texas, full stop. The season continues for us, but it's not okay to lose to texas. sure as hell ain't a blessing to lose to them.

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Its not rationalizing. It's accepting what happened and moving on with the realization that there is more (and more important) football left to be played. Winning is better than losing, but this game did not derail our ultimate goal.

Without a chance at a conference title, our only path to redemption is to play in the title game. Otherwise we've just given another contract extension to a coach who still has not brought home any hardware.

DavidAg02 said:

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Without a chance at a conference title, our only path to redemption is to play in the title game. Otherwise we've just given another contract extension to a coach who still has not brought home any hardware.

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Had a massive coaching carousel not kicked off this year, I doubt the extension would have happened. Our hand was kind of forced.

Jeeper79 said:

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King of the Dairy Queen said:

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What's with all the losing rationalizing lately? It's not okay to lose to Texas, full stop. The season continues for us, but it's not okay to lose to texas. sure as hell ain't a blessing to lose to them.

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Its not rationalizing. It's accepting what happened and moving on with the realization that there is more (and more important) football left to be played. Winning is better than losing, but this game did not derail our ultimate goal.

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That's not what the post says. He said it's a blessing to lose to them.

Everything you said is more true with a win. As a result of the loss we now have less to play for. In no way is it a good thing we lost to texas- that game was very important to the trajectory of our program and people are right to be upset. All the people talking about how it's not really that important are ignorant or are coping like petulant kids.

Some of yall have internalized the little brother thing that i'm actually discouraged by it because I know it's a common view. You dont think we should be beating texas. You think they're better than us and if we manage to win we pulled one over on em and stole a W from a superior program.

I hope our team hates to lose more than they want to win.

Biggest positive I've read on TexAgs, don't think it's coping…. But a loss does often help players re-focus.

biglebowski said:

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Biggest positive I've read on TexAgs, don't think it's coping…. But a loss does often help players re-focus.

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For sure, but if that wasn't true after scar I dont know why it would be true after texas

Win the natty and all wounds will be healed.

Maroon Dawn said:

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We were on the verge of greatness and once again crapped the bed instead

Eventually we have to stop with the Copium and accept this program is forever cursed to be Charlie Brown trying to kick the football for all eternity

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Here You are again, showing up after a loss

In my humble opinion, and with all respect, I do not mind if you downplay an 11-1 season as I know your propensity to hope for a gray cloud whenever you can, no matter the sport. I would only humbly ask that you not try to play on other fans insecurity to bolster your Charlie Brown routine concerning Aggie sports.

I know this is a message board and you are entitled to your opinion, I am as well, and is my opinion that most of your views are like Tokyo Rose or Axis Sally during the last World War.

Words like cope and copium have been tossed about the last couple of days like cheap lollipops at a Gay Pride Parade in Austin.

Congrats, you finally got the loss you wanted

Said with all due respect, and not an attempt at a personal insult, merely stating my opinion being contrary to an opinion stated by another.

OP is 100% correct and I've been saying it for weeks. Does losing to the sips absolutely suck ass? Yes. Is it the end of the world in the bigger picture? Of course not.

Sets us up much better moving forward for the "full stop" guy above.

King of the Dairy Queen said:

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Jeeper79 said:

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King of the Dairy Queen said:

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What's with all the losing rationalizing lately? It's not okay to lose to Texas, full stop. The season continues for us, but it's not okay to lose to texas. sure as hell ain't a blessing to lose to them.

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Its not rationalizing. It's accepting what happened and moving on with the realization that there is more (and more important) football left to be played. Winning is better than losing, but this game did not derail our ultimate goal.

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That's not what the post says. He said it's a blessing to lose to them.

Everything you said is more true with a win. As a result of the loss we now have less to play for. In no way is it a good thing we lost to texas- that game was very important to the trajectory of our program and people are right to be upset. All the people talking about how it's not really that important are ignorant or are coping like petulant kids.

Some of yall have internalized the little brother thing that i'm actually discouraged by it because I know it's a common view. You dont think we should be beating texas. You think they're better than us and if we manage to win we pulled one over on em and stole a W from a superior program.

I hope our team hates to lose more than they want to win.

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Can you even read? The OP said it's a "blessing in disguise".

As others pointed out to you, it makes the team gain focus and as I'll point out Marcel shouldn't have been handing out bling to the O Line before we have accomplished a damn thing.

We now get to host a playoff game and not stay restless. We win that and then potentially get to play in Arlington with tons of fresh momentum.

I'ts the very definition of "blessing in disguise" and has nothing to do with loser mentality.

Warsteiner said:

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I would love to play ou.
They have a good defense but their offense is putrid.

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Sounds familiar