My Original Thoughts on A&M were pretty accurate...

[RougeDawg]

If anyone knows how to look up posts on the pack you can see. When they were coming into the SEC i said they would be a 6-8 win team in SEC with a .500 at best SEC record. My basis on this prediction, was how shitty the Big 12 defenses were. I lived a year in Houston a few years back and attended 5 A&M games and 2 Texas games, having sideline passes a couple times. One sideline pass was A&M versus Oklahoma. Standing there field level I couldn't tell the D Ends from the D Backs. It was ****ing horrible. That was when Texas Tech was setting records. A&M still has a Big 12 defense.

I didn't expect A&M to come in and do much in the SEC based on the fact that their defense sucked ass. The one thing I, nor any other human, knew, was that Manziel would be the second coming, and elevate them 10 win team. Manziel single handedly beat Bama and OM last year and probably a few others. Without him, they are an 8 win team at best, but most likely a 6 win team with that shitty defense.

Everyone on here is talking about how well A&M can recruit in TX and how dominant they will be in the coming years. But they have been recruiting in TX forever, and without a god send QB would be mediocre SEC. Once he leaves this year, they will go back to mediocre. They still have to recruit against a shit ton of schools in TX. I'm not sold on them being this great power that most of you believe.

[Political Hack]

I though that too, and was wrong. I thought it would take several years for them to catch LSU and Bama. It hasn't. They're the best school in Texas and are immediately competing for SEC West titles.

[engie]

Everyone on here is talking about how well A&M can recruit in TX and how dominant they will be in the coming years. But they have been recruiting in TX forever

They've been recruiting in Texas from the SEC for ONE year now.

They are #7 in the 24/7 composite right now with 15 commits. By average star rankings, they are #2. They finished last year #9.

Prior to coming to the SEC, they had a #16, #35(one spot below our "bad" 2011 class), #18, #24, #17, #27, #24, #16, etc...

I thought they were a sleeping giant that would take a few years to adjust -- that "may" have been true without Manziel. Fact of the matter is, they are an awakened giant that will be a pain in our and everyone else's asses for years to come.

Can't say a Kevin Sumlin offense is only succeeding because of Manziel -- when he lit up the world with Case Keenum -- who can't run a lick...

[Coach34]

Their defense is shitty- there is no masking that.

And yep- Manziel is why they arent a 7-8 win team currently. Sumlin is recruiting well though, and moving forward they will still be one of the most talented teams in the West.

[ShotgunDawg]

Slightly off topic, but I saw a stat yesterday that said, "With Case Keenum starting for the Houston Texans this weekend, 10 Texas born QBs will have started in the NFL this season, but none attended the University of Texas."

So basically, as long as the TAMU coaching staff can evaluate a lick, TAMU should have an NFL caliber QB starting for them at all times. Think about that compared to MSU. Yes they may struggle on defense, and I think thats because of some gene pool issues. Only 11.8% of Texas' population is black where as Mississippi's is 37%, Louisiana's is 32%, Alabama 26%, and Georgia 30%.

So to make a long story short, Texas has quality skill players walking around in mass, but not as many raw athletic linebacker, defensive tackle, and defensive end types. The small towns that the Mississippi schools and LSU feed off of are heavily african american towns, whereas those towns in Texas are all white and lack the pre-civil war gene pool.

[SignalToNoise]

Without Manziel last year they lose to the bears and bama at least, in addition to having lost to LSU and Fla.

They beat our ass so don't think that game changes too much.

So they would have been 8-4 (4-4) with SEC wins over awful auburn and Arkansas, spectacularly average State, and Mizzou. Big whoop. We don't give Mullen credit for beating those teams so Sumlin can **** off.

Yes they may be recruiting well but historically they do less with more. I'm not sold just yet.

They'll be a pain in our ass sure but that's not saying anything. I just don't see them being another LSU or Bama.

[RougeDawg]

Without Manziel last year they lose to the bears and bama at least, in addition to having lost to LSU and Fla.

They beat our ass so don't think that game changes too much.

So they would have been 8-4 (4-4) with SEC wins over awful auburn and Arkansas, spectacularly average State, and Mizzou. Big whoop. We don't give Mullen credit for beating those teams so Sumlin can **** off.

Yes they may be recruiting well but historically they do less with more. I'm not sold just yet.

They'll be a pain in our ass sure but that's not saying anything. I just don't see them being another LSU or Bama.

This is what I was getting at. They have been irrelevant in the Big 12 for a long time. They would have been average in SEC without the lightning in a bottle Manziel. Its more likely than not, that they will not have another Manziel for a while if ever. He's the most elusive QB I've ever seen. Without him they are a 7-9 win team with the occasional losing season. The Big 12 has sucked for over a decade and they never dominated it.

[RougeDawg]

Auburn further proving my point. A&M is a 3-5 win better team with Manziel playing. They will come back down to earth after he leaves this year.