The inevitable finally happened for the Texas A&M football team — they fell out of the top-25 after a heartbreaking loss to Mississippi State. This gives them two losses on the season.
In the immediate future, there aren’t many positive ways to spin this. The Aggies didn’t deserve to be considered a top ten team, even if this came as a result of unfortunate circumstances including injuries, suspensions, and general turnover across the roster.
So rather than dwell on the negative, I’m going to try to spin this into three positives for the Texas A&M football team. Here it goes.
Positive No. 1: The Texas A&M football team no longer has hefty expectations, making the season less stressful
Part of what has made this season so heartbreaking for Texas A&M football fans is the fact that the Aggies were expected to be one of the best teams in the country. This was evident by their 6th-overall ranking in the preseason AP Poll.
The same Texas A&M football team that finished off last season as the last team out of the College Football Playoff was expected to prove the haters wrong. They seemed like Alabama’s best challenger, even with some turnover on the offensive side of the ball. That obviously hasn’t happened.
At this point, Texas A&M can only realistically improve from where they’re at. This won’t be another season where you’ve aged 20 years by the time the College Football Playoff selection show rolls around — Aggie fans will appreciate each win more than they did a season ago.
Positive No. 2: The Texas A&M football team’s game against Alabama just got a lot more interesting
Either way, the Texas A&M football team’s chances against the Alabama Crimson Tide seemed slim. If we were talking about a 4-1 Aggie squad, it would seem like a perfect opportunity for Nick Saban to expose them in a blowout victory.
Instead, Texas A&M will enter their matchup against Alabama with two losses, and perhaps more importantly, nothing to lose.
Let’s be honest here — Texas A&M is outmatched in almost every category imaginable. Even the Aggies’ secondary, which looked like the best in the country a couple of weeks ago, is now on the weaker end as we enter SEC play. Ironically, the Aggies are now tied with Alabama for 24th in the country in passing yards allowed per game.
There’s no reason that the Texas A&M football team should be picked to beat Alabama by anybody. That said, this could turn into a classic trap game for the Crimson Tide. If A&M comes into this with a nothing-to-lose mentality, they’ll have a better chance against ‘Bama than most people think.
There isn’t a more motivated team in the country — this squad is just as talented as Alabama and could give the Tide a run for their money.
Positive No. 3: The Texas A&M football team’s young players will be able to develop with real game experience
In the case that the Texas A&M football team was clinging to an undefeated or one-loss season, the squad would have done anything it took to win a football game. Fans would have gotten a high dose of their starters
With a couple of losses on the year already, the Aggies will be more willing and more likely to play some of their younger players. There will be less focus on winning now and more focus on the development of each player on the roster. This could go a long way for the future of this team, which will undeniably be competing to win the SEC in future seasons.
We may see players like Demond Demas, Moose Muhammed, and Baylor Cupp see expanded roles on offense. Defensively, players like Tyreek Chappell, Shemar Turner, and Duece Harmon develop, among others. It isn’t the year that we wanted, but it’ll be fun to watch the future of Texas A&M football emerge.
This is still a very talented football team — the Aggies won’t be getting blown out by anybody. Jimbo Fisher’s players will be getting important game experience without the risk of losing and suffering a huge blow to their confidence.
The team does this while continuing to maintain important goals. Yes, their College Football Playoff chances may be done, but this team can still compete in a meaningful bowl game. There’s only one game left on Texas A&M’s schedule that they shouldn’t win.
At the end of the day, there’s no way to feel truly happy about this season. Still, you can enjoy the smaller things.