3 Reasons Texas A&M Football Pulls Off the Upset Against LSU

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Nov 26, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Moose Muhammad III (7) scores a touchdown against LSU Tigers safety Sage Ryan (15) and safety Greg Brooks Jr (3) during the fourth quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports /

Why Texas A&M Football Downs LSU in Baton Rouge

Texas A&M football faces a formidable challenge on the road tomorrow in the form of the LSU Tigers. The Aggies have yet to win in Death Valley since joining the SEC, and are hoping to change that trend—as well as the trend of road losses that dates back to Ole Miss in 2021—with a win against the Tigers. This would also be the first win against a ranked team on the road since Kyle Allen, Myles Garrett, and the 2014 Aggies improbably took down the 3rd-ranked Auburn Tigers in Jordan Hare Stadium.

That seems almost impossible, but when you only play four to five true road games in a given year, and there’s no guarantee that any of them will be ranked, it starts to make a little more sense. Even so, it seems crazy that Jimbo Fisher went his entire tenure without a ranked road win. Those games were as follows:

2018: #1 Alabama (L, 45-23)
2019: #1 Clemson (L, 24-10)
2019: #4 UGA (L, 19-13)
2019: #1 LSU (L, 50-7)
2020: #2 Alabama (L, 52-24)
2021: #12 Ole Miss (L, 29-19)
2022: #1 Alabama (L, 24-20)
2023: #19 Tennessee (L, 20-13)
2023: #11 Ole Miss (L, 38-35)

It’s pretty wild that it took until Jimbo’s 4th year for him to face a ranked team on the road that wasn’t in the top 5. He faced more top 5 teams on the road than ranked teams outside the top 5; #1 four times; and only three total teams outside the top 5. This Saturday against LSU, the Aggies will be facing only their fourth road matchup since 2018 that’s ranked yet outside the top 5. It’s a brutal draw, but it speaks to the reality of playing in the SEC. For context, here’s an in-state Big 12 school’s ranked road matchups in that same timespan:

2018: #5 OU (L, 66-33)
2018: #14 Texas (L, 23-17)
2018: #12 WVU (L, 58-14)
2018: #25 Iowa State (L, 28-14)
2020: #17 Iowa State (L, 38-31)
2020: #13 OU (L, 27-14)
2021: #18 OKST (L, 24-14)
2022: #25 BYU (L, 26-20)
2022: #24 Texas (L, 38-27)
2023: #25 KSU (L, 59-25)

For those keeping track, that is one top-10 team, five teams ranked between 11-20, and four teams ranked either 24th or 25th. The point is this: not all ranked road schedules are created equal, but that’s the reality of playing in this conference. That’s how things go. It is a reality to be acknowledged but not a reason for an excuse. This trip this weekend represents an opportunity to turn this narrative around. So can the Aggies do it? Let’s talk about why they might.