2013 Texas A&M Spring Football Preview
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Category Archives: Texas A&M
Texas A&M’s SEC Monopoly in Texas
by Travis Normand
Since Texas A&M joined the SEC, Clay Travis (OutKickTheCoverage.com) has written several interesting columns concerning the effect that such a move will have on the Aggies, as well as the Longhorns.
If you don’t read his site very often, I would suggest at least following this link and reading his most recent column on the topic. While it doesn’t contain any earth-shattering news it does make some interesting points, all of which will be interesting to watch as they play out.
The Longhorns want you to forget that they ever played Texas A&M
by Travis Normand
How quickly we forget; or should I say, how quickly the media forgets.
I don’t care what anyone (including DeLoss Dodds) would like you to believe, but the Longhorns do not have an annual Thanksgiving football game tradition. Despite the revisionist history being created in Austin, there is no tradition of the Longhorns playing a football game on Thanksgiving day against a random opponent.
If there is a Thanksgiving day tradition that involves the University of Texas’ football team, it is that they used to play a rivalry game against Texas A&M on Thanksgiving. However, 2012 was the first time (in almost 100 years) that the two schools didn’t play each other.
Why?
Because the Longhorns threw a fit when the Aggies decided to move from the Big 12 to the SEC; and in doing so, the Longhorns decided that they no longer wanted to play A&M anymore. At the time, the Aggies issued a standing invitation to the Longhorns to continue the rivalry, but so far the Longhorns have refused.
“Texas Monthly” is for fools.
by Travis Normand
Texas Monthly tries it’s hand at April Fools’.
EXCLUSIVE: Texas, Texas A&M to Resume Football Rivalry in 2015
by Jason Cohen
April 1, 2013
Manziel should not have won the Heisman because he is bad at twitter
by Travis Normand
I have never claimed to be more than I actually am. I am a blogger. I am a blogger that focuses primarily on college football, but that is it. I am not a reporter, and calling myself a “writer” is really a stretch.
However, maybe I should have gone into covering college sports as a career? I mean, I am not very good at it, but apparently you don’t have to be. In fact, if you work at the Orlando Sentinel, they will call you a College Insider. One would think they would have to know a lot of information about a certain topic before they were given the title of “insider.” However, the following article by Matt Murschel shows that that is simply not the case.
[Emphasis added]
Johnny Football shows maybe Heisman shouldn’t go to freshmen after all
Matt Murschel
College Insider
6:58 p.m. EDT, March 31, 2013
OrlandoSentinel.comThe Heisman Trophy honors some of the best young men that college football has to offer.
Men whose actions on and off the field exemplified integrity, diligence, hard work and perseverance.
Men whose painted portraits have hung in the hallowed halls for close to a century and represent what is supposed to be right about college football. Johnny Manziel‘s portrait hangs there as well, but lately it appears more like it was taken with Instagram.
Jack Pardee [1936-2013]
by Travis Normand
Jack Pardee, one of Bear Bryant’s “Junction Boys” at Texas A&M, died Monday, April 1, 2013.
For more on Jack Pardee, see this article at the WashingtonPost.com and/or this article at the Houston Chronicle (Chron.com).
Here is a link to a Q&A with Pardee from around the time The Junction Boys movie was released (2002).
The following is Pardee’s bio from AggieLettermen.org:
Jack Pardee joined the exclusive “1,000 Yard Club” after accumulating a total of 1,017 career rushing yards. A tri-captain of the 1956 SWC championship team, Pardee was one of the legendary Junction Boys of 1954. Among his other athletic accolades can be counted:
— All American, 1956
— All-SWC Fullback, 1955, 1956
— Houston Post MVP Award, 1956
— Academic All-American, 1956
— NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship, 1956
— 2nd Round Draft Choice, LA Rams, 1957
— Played in the 1963 Pro Bowl.
— National Football Foundation Hall of Fame, 1986From AggieLettermen.org
Is DeLoss Dodds really this stupid?
by Travis Normand
A friend of mine living in Chicago emailed me today to ask if I had heard any news about the renewal of the annual football rivalry between Texas A&M and the University of Texas. My Chicago friend included a link in his email to something he had read on Yahoo.com (Dr. Saturday’s Blog) and wanted to know if there was anything to it. Here is the link he sent me: “Texas AD DeLoss Dodds says rivalry with A&M could return but on Texas’ terms.”
When I first read the headline, I couldn’t help but get a little excited. My first thought was that Dodds had finally gotten over the fact that A&M had left the Big 12 for the SEC, and that he was finally ready to schedule A&M after a one-year hiatus.
Old but still funny, Johnny Manziel
by Travis Normand
This was printed in the Onion on December 8, 2012. With so many online posts scrutinizing Johnny Manziel’s every-move, I thought this was still pretty relevant. If nothing else, its worth a good laugh.
Legislator in Texas introduces bill that would require Longhorns and Aggies to play football
by Travis Normand
By now I am sure you have heard that there is a bill in the Texas Legislature that will require Texas A&M and the University of Texas to renew and continue their annual football rivalry. As of right now, the bill has only been submitted/introduced. Only time will tell if this particular bill has any “legs” or whether it will “die on the table.”
[Click HERE to see House Bill (HB) 778]
If you poll the online internet Aggie community, it appears as if a large majority of Aggies are not in favor of this bill. After reading a few conversation threads on TexAgs.com, it appears as if there are a lot of Aggies that either (1) don’t want to play the Longhorns anymore, and/or (2) feel that the only way the two schools should play is if the Longhorns are the ones who request the game.
Personally, I am of the opinion that the game should be played. The annual rivalry game between the two schools is an important ingredient in the tradition of college football and everyone suffers from its loss.
Andy Staples ranks Aggies number two
by Travis Normand
Last week I posted about Dennis Dodd ranking the Aggies number one in his very early 2013 pre-season poll. As it turns out, Dodd is not the only one with high-praise for Texas A&M. Andy Staples, of SI.com, produced his very early 2013 pre-season poll and has the Aggies at number two (behind Alabama at number one).
See Andy Staples’ early top 25 for 2013
While I am sure the Aggies will enjoy all the pre-season attention, Staples goes out of his way to demonstrate the point I made in my post about Dodd’s top 25. My point was that while these polls are somewhat accurate/credible, they primarily serve as a means to drive internet readership/traffic during the off-season. What better way to drive up your website’s hits than to put a team, with a large and excited fan base, in the number one or two spot.
Regardless, as of January 23, 2013, the Aggies have one first-place vote, and one second place vote. Not bad.
OnePointSafety 