Look, I get that TAMU’s win over Alabama is a big deal. It established the Aggies as a legit player in the conference. It has significant implications for this year’s BCS title game. But as tempting as it may seem to some pundits, it’s not the apocalypse.
Here’s Stewart Mandel, who’s never shied away from reading dramatic, wide-scale trends into single game wins before (how’s that whole “Boise State’s win in the Fiesta Bowl changes college football as we know it forevah!” thing working out, by the way?):
However, one school’s decision to change conferences has had a direct hand in one of the most exciting stories of 2012. In fact, it led straight to the most impactful upset of the season, a game that may one day go down as a milestone moment that not only alters a national championship race, but one that ushers in far-reaching changes…
… Oh, they’ve proven themselves. And in doing so, they may well precipitate a sea change in the SEC. As many as four conference schools (Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee and Auburn) may soon change coaches, and you just know they’ll be seeking their own versions of Sumlin. Defense will remain a bedrock for schools like Alabama, Florida and LSU, but before you know it, nearly half the schools in the league could be running their own version of the Air Raid.
Oy vey, Stewart. You have to go all the way back to two seasons ago to find a team that won the SEC without playing elite defense. Since then, I bet half the teams in the conference have been looking for the next Cam Newton, too.
Meanwhile, like the sun rising in the east, it’s Gang of Six time.
Somebody’s gotta be the next Urban Meyer.
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UPDATE: Year2 has more rational thoughts about what implications to take away from Alabama’s loss.
Get The Picture 
Something tells me A&M wouldn’t have been exactly a mid-level team in the Big 12 this year.
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No kidding. New coach, new Heisman-quality QB…T A & M was always SEC-grade just like Texas and Oklahoma are in terms of tradition, players, recruiting turf. It’s the rest of the conference that sucks eggs. Missouri? THAT was a mid-level Big 12 team.
Can we start talking about Kansas State and Notre Dame now?
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A&M would be undefeated and playing for a spot in the MNC game if they were still in the Big 12. I was just as impressed by the A&M defense as I was the offense on Saturday.
I think we match up well with Alabama it should be a great game.
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You mean if bammer qualifies, right? – he he he….
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I think A & M has improved over the year, which is to be expected with a new coach and new/freshman QB. Don’t forget that they lost to LSU and UF– at home. I don’t think those were flukes, personally.
Personally, I think the bigger story here is that Sumlin is the real deal and Manziel is the Heisman frontrunner in the immediate future.
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I’d give it to him now, but I’m guessing the Heisman voters still have issues giving it to a freshman.
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Yes…because Florida without Tebow is the same team as Florida with Tebow.
Stupidity.
By the way, all this goes to show how stupid pollsters are. If they had been paying attention to the computer polls, they would have seen Texas A&M was ranked #5 by the Sagarin Predictor poll prior to last week. A&M was typically top 5-8 in polls that take into account margin of victory.
Anyway, Mizzou was better than A&M last year….so what do the pundits say about Mizzou getting its rear end handed to it this year?
Oh…you mean 2012 isn’t 2011? Durrr….
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I know I’m talking to myself here…but it wasn’t that long ago that the meme among national writers was Mizzou, returning all these kids and bringing in a highly ranked recruiting class and with their fancy offense, had the ability to turn the SEC on its ear and win the East.
It’s never been about the ‘conference’…its always about the players and coaches. Period.
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It is also revisionist history to ignore the fact the TAMU lost to both LSU and Florida. One upset win does not a trend make. I’m not taking anything away from what Sumlin has done there, He is obviously a tremendous coach and motivator, and Manziel is clearly a talent, but they still have two conference losses to teams that did not win their division, much less the conference title. (Boy do I enjoy writing that, Florida Gators!!!!)
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I’m actually kind of mad that the Senator made me read that article. I feel dumber having read it.
So…A&M has had to play 3 top ten teams and has gone 1-2…and that represents a sea change in college football and the SEC. Riiiiight.
I’m not taking anything away from A&M. They are a really good football team. But the whole point of most SEC homers over the past 6 years has not been that Texas or Oregon or Oklahoma etc. couldn’t come into the SEC and win some ball games. The point was and still remains that you can’t compare the week to week gauntlet in the SEC to any other trial. A&M has 2 losses. Kansas State has 0. My assumption is that if you flip schedules, K State doesn’t go through Florida, LSU, and Bama unscathed.
Thus the point…it’s stupid to base a national championship game on ‘undefeated’ and why we need a playoff. 8 team playoff that started today would be K-State vs. A&M, LSU v. Oregon, ND vs. Florida, UGA v. Bama. I’m not sure any non-SEC team would be favored in any round of the playoffs…assuming they won the first round.
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One other thing, Irv. If the aTm D-back doesn’t read pass and step in front of the receiver, the Bama wide-out catches the pass, scores and Bama wins the game. This is all about 1 play. If that play ended up differently none of these memes would even be talked about.
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Yeah, they may have great coaches at aTm, but as Auburn is showing us this year, a Cam Newton or a Johnny Football will make anybody look like a schematic Einstein.
Still, even though it was not in our best interests, I found myself rooting for aTm just because I like Sumlin and his team looks well-coached and disciplined, unlike the idiot 2010 Plainsmen, who were only loved by their mothers.
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Sumlin has a track record of success unlike Chizik. I get your point here, but notice where Houston is now and what Case Keenum accomplished there.
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Looking at the stats I noticed that back in 2008 the Hillbillies finished the season with the #1 D in the SEC (Chief’s last season). Went 5-7 with that D. This season UT has a Defense currently ranked #14. How unusual is that? Two 5-7 seasons one with the #1 D the other with the #14 D. (If the Vols manage to split the next two).
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It’s like the man sai:, “Lies, damned lies and statistics.”
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Like Rocket said above, the folks at aTm may have cost themselves a shot at a title by moving conferences. Of course, they had no way of knowing…
Hats off to the Aggies. Those rose to the occasion and whipped our tails.
If I’m looking for a silver lining, I could note how tough it was to play this game following LSU (life in the SEC, baby), how different the game would have been without the turnovers and how Johnny Football’s camping at the Stephen Garcia Passing Academy really paid off. But I won’t. Because then I would sound like a cry baby.
Have a good day,
BD
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* “They”
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Turnovers happen, welcome to reality.
Looking forward to our game in the Dome. Best of luck til then.
We are truly in the same boat re a shot at the MNC.
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“Garcia was signed by the Montreal Alouettes on June 27, 2012.”
I didn’t know Garcia was running a qb academy. I bet the extracurricular activities there are interesting. I don’t think he is going to give the Mannings much competition in the passing academy business though.
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I was just kidding. Garcia had his best game ever against us in 2010 and at some point Saturday Johnny Football was like 15 of 16. Johnny actually reminds me a lot of myself back in the day.
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You did the Scooby thing for Halloween, too?
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It’s funny how the punditocracy still doesn’t grasp what every SEC fan does: the week in week out brutal defenses is what makes the SEC. Unless and until the Big Integer or PAC 12 starts producing DT’s that move like ours, they have no concept of carnage.
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They grasp it. Their jobs require that they find other things to talk about.
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(Hence invented bullshit by Mandel.)
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This is a ridiculous article. The last six years are worthless but the last game means everything – just idiotic. Plus, didn’t A&M win because they intercepted the ball?? Don’t interceptions occur on defense?
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Mandell was trolling SEC fans hard that whole game and really all year on his twitter feed.
He’s lost control of his douchebaggery when it comes to not liking the SEC.
My favorite is his tweet complaining about how the computers don’t use margin of victory and thus have Notre Dame number 1 instead of number 5 (Sagarin). Guess who is number 1 in Sagarin’s Predictor model? Alabama….so the argument could be made that neither the computers nor the pollsters are using strength of schedule or margin of victory correctly, no?
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I might add….the pundits (aka Mandell) don’t seem to be using SOS and margin of victory correctly either?
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And have you ever seen a scribe go as far as he does in flat-out ignoring UGa. aTm is now the LOCK for a Fiesta Bowl bid. He is more or less a goon, and generally I like to steer clear of blatant name-calling.
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unfortunately, if UGA does not win the conference he is prolly right.
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Thought I saw some other outlets opine that even with a good competitive loss in the SECCG the Dawgs could be bound for the Sugar Bowl. Of course, this is contingent upon Bowl selection and the vicissitudes of other game results.
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Well, the losing team in the SECCG doesn’t look like a Sugar Bowl team if the SEC doesn’t fit one into the BCSCG.
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That is legitimate, too. Those glances ahead probably assumed an SEC member in the Title Game.
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If the SEC Champ were to get into the BCSNCG then the highest rated 1 loss team in the SEC would be….Florida (assuming FU beats FSU). I have not heard/seen one commentator say that FU is the pick for the Superdome.
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I really didn’t get the play calling from the 6 yard line. What was that all about?
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I hope Richt and Bobo read that article from Year2.
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Also, please note this: All things being equal, I like winning better than losing.
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BRILLIANT!
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Umm, blew their wad in Baton Rouge; regrouped, but didn’t make the play?
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Isnt the science already in that Mandel is an idiot, though?
I always point to this vis a vis conference match ups; in 2010 Oregon’s offense was running all over everybody like the Werhmacht in 1940. Except Auburn’s mediocre defense, which held them to what, 20 points? I could also point to Oklahoma in 2008, or Texas in 2009; again high powered offenses getting manhandled by physical SEC defenses.
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To be perfectly honest, Alabama had the momentum and seemed headed for the win. Except for the atypical mistake by McCarron, we’re probably not even having this conversation today. Bama got caught asleep at the wheel; it’s not like A&M is taking the SEC apart.
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I thought the same thing. LSU took a lot out of them but Bama was at the six and I stood up and told everyone watching that this was over and that Bama would not be denied. Smug in my football prognostication, I was manning the grill when I got the news of the int. Yep. It ain’t over till its over. At the 6 yard line… how did they not win that game?
“Ole Lady Luck just looked down and laughed out loud.”
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Funny, but 3 months ago the feeling in Longhorn land was how pathetic “little brother” was for jumping ship. Now the Tower is turning from burnt urnge to green given TAMU’s head coach, SEC money, exposure, SOS, etc. Mack didn’t even think about offering Manziel or Swopes a scholarship…that’s how fertile the recruiting grounds are around here for those that know how to work it.
I’m just curious what all the pre-season magazines will do next year in the “Cheerleaders of the SEC” section when it comes to TAMU….Revielle in a pink bow looking seductive?
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