Rivalry or not, Aggies looking to LSU game as a must-win

Conventional wisdom suggests that if someone must ask the price of an expensive car or home, he cannot afford it.

The same would hold true for college football rivalries. If one has to ask if a game is a rivalry, it is not.

There is no question Ohio State-Michigan, Alabama-Auburn and Georgia-Florida are rivalries. Nobody has to ask.

The local media — which for eight years has been pushing the narrative that Texas A&M-LSU is a blood feud — proved earlier this week that it is not by asking if it is.

If the question didn’t prove it, then the A&M players’ answers did.

“I wouldn’t look at it as a rivalry game,” sophomore receiver Ainias Smith said. “I haven’t been here long enough for it to be a rivalry game, so I wouldn’t know.”

Senior defensive tackle Jayden Peevy has been around long enough to know.

“It’s just another game,” Peevy said. “Another opponent in the way. We want to go 1-and-0 each week. That’s our goal.”

Those quotes will make some bristle. They should be celebrated because A&M has much more at stake than a manufactured rivalry or revenge for last year’s 50-7 loss.

These Aggies are focused on the grandiose possibilities. A&M is fifth in the AP poll and should be ranked no lower than that when the initial College Football Playoffs rankings are announced on Tuesday night.

The Aggies (5-1) should be ranked ahead of No. 6 Florida (5-1) on the strength of a 41-38 victory over the Gators.

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The Aggies’ resumé boasts perhaps college football’s best win: a 41-38 victory over Florida.

A&M should be ranked ahead of Cincinnati (8-0), which has not beaten an opponent currently in the Top 25.

A&M should be ahead of BYU (9-0), which has played a cotton-soft schedule. The Cougars’ opponents are a combined 30-39. Further, BYU just turned down a chance to play Washington.

A&M should be ranked ahead of Pac-12 leaders USC and Oregon, who have been unimpressive in posting 3-0 starts.

A&M should be ahead of any team from the Big 12, including Oklahoma (6-2). The Sooners’ apologists argue that losses to Kansas State and Iowa State should not be held against them because they occurred early in the season.

OK, A&M lost to Alabama in Week Two, so that loss should be forgiven, too.

Besides, Iowa State (6-2) — who leads the Big 12 standings — lost to Louisiana (7-1), 31-14. The Ragin’ Cajuns have a better argument to get into the playoff than any Big 12 team does.

Getting into the playoff is where the Aggies’ attention should be. So, of course, it is not.

“I’m not going to look at (CFP show),” Smith said. “I’m not too much worried about it.”

Apparently, the Aggies are following the lead of coach Jimbo Fisher, who said he wouldn’t watch the CFP rankings show.

“I’ll be in there watching film like crazy trying to get ready for Wednesday. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday … those are grind days. I won’t have time to look at a TV. Somebody will tell me,” Fisher said. “That’s your ultimate goal of where you want to go. We understand that. It’s great to be mentioned. It’s great to be up there. You want to be in those situations, for sure, because you don’t want to have to climb.

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The last time Texas A&M and LSU met at Kyle Field, the Aggies won a 7OT thriller.

“What we have to do now is take care of our business one week at a time. If we’re in there and close, that’s awesome, but it ain’t going to make us win a game. It ain’t going to make us lose a game.”

Fisher’s message is that his team need not worry about rankings because if they lose, they won’t be ranked high anyway.

The Aggies need to beat LSU because they are in the playoff discussion. They need to beat LSU because every win bolsters their playoff resumé.

That’s their motivation. That’s why beating LSU doesn’t mean any more to the Aggies than beating Auburn or Tennessee or Ole Miss.

Trying to label it a rivalry doesn’t make the game bigger, especially when players obviously don’t see it that way Alabama and Auburn players see the Iron Bowl.

“Whether it’s a rivalry or not, I don’t know that. I just know it’s a very important football game,” Fisher said. “One, it’s the next game. It’s a big game, and it’s a team you have to play well against to reach your goals in the SEC West to get to where you have to go in the national spotlight.

“So it’s a very important game. Whether it’s a rivalry or not, that’s for other people to decide. It’s just an extremely important game each and every year.”