Texas A&M's decision on new tradition may confuse some fans, but there's a reason

Texas A&M football has announced that they once again are calling for a blackout for a home game this season after the roaring success of the LSU game last year. Though the announcement doesn't say this in particular, this all but ensures that A&M will be wearing the very well-received all-black uniforms that they wore in that game last year.

Building up to a big game with an announcement like this is pretty par for the course, but there's one thing that will catch the eye of loyal fans. The blackout is scheduled to be for the game against Mississippi State, which, while sometimes a tough opponent for the Ags... is not exactly a massive matchup.

I think a lot of Aggie fans would be fine with the blackout uniforms becoming a yearly tradition for the Texas A&M football team, but most would want them to be saved for a bigger home game. So why are they using them against Mississippi State? As it turns out, maddening as it may be, there is a reason.

Texas A&M schedules Kyle Field blackout for Mississippi State game— and there's a reason

When the SEC joined up with ESPN for exclusive broadcasting rights recently, one of the positives was the ability that the conference would have to give time windows for conference games far ahead of time, rather than waiting week to week to see what slot your game was in.

That in mind, the Aggies only have one guaranteed home night game this year, and that is against Mississippi State. The Florida game is listed as a "flex" window, meaning it could be in the afternoon or evening, but MSU is an evening kick for the Aggies.

After 2015's debacle where Texas A&M debuted another blackout uniform— the "Aggie Nights" alternate, complete with a helmet decal that was only visible under stadium lights— in a game that kicked off at 11 AM, the Aggies want to make sure they play their blackout game at night. The MSU game is the only guarantee there.

So, as much of an eye roll as it is, the Aggies are constrained to roll these out against the Bulldogs. It would have been cooler to use against Florida or South Carolina, but sometimes you have to play the hand you're dealt.