Why a fast start for Texas A&M football in 2024 would be extremely significant
It's a distant memory by this point, but Texas A&M football used to have a very predictable pattern to their football seasons. For about a four-year stretch, the Aggies' seasons always followed this general contour: A&M would come out of the gates like gangbusters before fading in mid-October.
This was kind of the case in 2013, but from 2014-2016, it was extremely noticeable. 2014 saw the Ags grab the attention of the whole nation with a huge win over South Carolina in the first game of the season; later that year, they lost 59-0 to Alabama.
2015 and 2016 were scarily reminiscent of one another. Both years started with big wins over PAC-12 teams, leading to the Aggies taking an unblemished record into the game against Alabama. Once that contest against the Tide rolled around, though, things would take a decided downturn.
In 2015, the Aggies only defeated South Carolina, Western Carolina, and Vanderbilt after the Alabama loss. In 2016, they only managed wins over New Mexico State and UTSA after dropping a game to the Tide.
Fans became sick of the team falling off down the stretch every year. Sumlin responded with the 2017 season, where—instead of having hype at any point around the team—the Aggies were plainly mediocre the whole time. This, of course, led to his firing.
Since then, fast starts have been tough to come by for the Aggies. Things looked good in 2020, of course, but even then a week 2 loss to the eventual national champion in the Crimson Tide marred the record.
Want to know what a kick in the nuts it’s been to be an A&M fan in recent seasons? In the past 7 years, the Aggies have started 2-0 just once, and that was a 10-7 win over Colorado in which we lost our starting QB for the season.
— Robert Behrens (@rcb05) August 8, 2024
Please help us, Mike Elko, you’re our only hope.
You don't need me to tell you what happened in week 2 of the 2022 season—nor 2023, for that matter.
Now, fans long for the days of 5-0 and 6-0 starts. What would a start like that look like for the Aggies in this upcoming season? Wins over current top-10 teams in Missouri and Notre Dame would be on that docket—which means the Aggies would be right in the thick of things for a CFP berth.
It should also be mentioned that this year's slate lacks a Crimson-colored stumbling block as the 2015 and 2016 seasons had. Instead, the Ags host LSU at Kyle midseason, where the Tigers have not won since Sumlin was the coach in College Station.
Winning those first two big home matchups is extremely key to how this season will go—if the Aggies make it three with a win over LSU, it's not crazy to not only start thinking about the CFP, but a trip to Atlanta in early December.
Can the Aggies do it? I certainly don't think it's too much to consider it possible. The pieces are there. The coaching appears to be too. There's a lot the Aggies can achieve this season—I can't wait to see how high they climb.