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Lobwedgephil

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Posts posted by Lobwedgephil

  1. 19 minutes ago, elguapo said:

    I may be wrong but I don’t think CDC is an idiot. He knows reporters are trying to clarify if he meant that Herman will be back coaching the 2021 season, and he hasn’t come out and said that - would be super easy to clarify this and remove all confusion.

    Herman may get lucky if CDC can’t land the right candidate, but I still think Herman is most likely gone.

    He has clarified this to the Statesman unfortunately. CDC and Tom need to be fired. 

  2. Oil is still fucked, I am hoping to stay employed for a another year. But the big money is starting to notice the opportunity. Doesn't mean shit, but big money is thinking they can start to flip shit in O&G for 3-5x in the next few years.  

    • Like 1
  3. Spoiler


    Liucci

    2:40p 

    Staff

    AG

    -For starters, a quick scheduling update:

    Last night, Tennessee AD Phil Fulmer said the A&M game would be played on December 19, to close out the regular-season on championship weekend.

    I'd heard the same (it's all tentative and subject to change, of course) and also heard that the Ags' most likely three-game close to the regular-season would be at Auburn next weekend, Ole Miss at Kyle Field on 12/12 and then the trip to Rocky Top. 

    Again, not set in stone, but that's what it's sounding like and it's really the only way to go. If there's any change at all, it would be Auburn and Ole Miss flipping (which I'm not expecting) because that Tennessee game kind of has to be locked in on 12/19. The Ags can't play Ole Miss on the 19th because LSU has to have Bama and Florida on the first two Saturdays of December (before championship weekend) and then still has Ole Miss (which will be on 12/19). That also means that LSU plays Florida on 12/12 after facing Bama on 12/5. Florida hosting LSU that weekend leaves only next weekend for UF to take on their division rivals from Knoxville, hence 12/19 being the only Saturday that fits for both A&M and UT. 

    If you'd like to try and dissect that season-ending scenario, I'd say it's the best you could hope for if you're the Aggies. Take on Auburn a week after the Iron Bowl and draw Tennessee at season's end, when the Vols will likely be playing out a bitterly disappointing season at 3-6 (assuming they don't lose to Vandy on 12/12). Ole Miss in the middle is probably the perfect spot for what should be a confident bunch led by Lane Kiffin. Fortunately, that one will be played in College Station and not Oxford.

    -So LSU followed by Auburn, Ole Miss and Tennessee, you say? I know a couple of those big names are down, Auburn isn't elite this season and Ole Miss is still sporting a losing record but that's still a pretty daunting four-game stretch to close things out for the Aggies. It's not the Murderer's Row those opponents stacked in four straight weeks we thought it would be prior to the season and especially not what you'd get if you drew those four in certain recent seasons but I'd still go so far as to say the close-out for Jimbo Fisher's squad is tougher than anything any of the other contenders have to face the rest of the way. Tougher than what Bama, Clemson, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida, Cincy and Northwestern all have in front of them between now and championship weekend but where the Aggies catch a potential break is that every one of those aforementioned teams is going to have to play a conference championship game, with three of those pitting two teams from the group against one another. Again, it's a 'potential' break for the Aggies and we'll get into that in a moment.

    LSU and Tennessee both still have a ton of talent, probably every bit as much as the Aggies do. Problem for the Bayou Bengals and Vols, however, is that they don't have the senior leadership, the quarterback play, the defense or 'team football' that Fisher's squad brings to the table. Auburn is a good and definitely dangerous team, one that was good enough to beat LSU every bit as bad as the Ags beat South Carolina a few weeks ago. Problem is, War Eagle also lost to that same Gamecock squad and the Tigers were on the right side of game-changing blown calls in Houdini-like escapes versus Arkansas and Ole Miss. Bo Nix is very good when he's on, the Tiger receiving corps is as good as any the Ags will face and Tank Bigsby is a powerful, productive runner but Gus Malzahn's bunch hasn't been nearly as consistent as the Ags have been so far this season and not nearly as good. As for Ole Miss? Kiffin's offense is scary good but, again, the Rebels weren't world-beaters in losing to Arkansas and Auburn and the last time we saw them they were in a four-quarter shootout with the same team A&M had beaten 48-3 a week prior, giving up around 230 rushing yards to the same guy the Ags held to 50.  

    -Here's something to consider about this A&M team and what they're putting on the field every weekend.

    The Aggies probably rank in the top-3 in the SEC in all of the following areas:

    One of the three best quarterbacks.
    One of the three best running backs.
    One of the top three tight ends.
    One of the three best 'all purpose' backs.
    One of the three best offensive lines.
    One of the top three defensive lines.
    No. 1-ranked defense.
    No. 2 in the SEC versus the run.

    So while the remaining schedule is anything but easy, there's a reason why your Aggies will be favored each of the next four Saturdays and there's a reason that they're a legitimate top-5 football team as we enter the season's final month..  

    -News came out this week that the CDC may soon shorten the length of time a person must self-quarantines following potential exposure to Co-Vid. I'm not sure anything happens between now and the end of the college football season but perhaps it's something that could factor in by the time bowl season rolls around. As any college football fan has become painfully aware, it's oftentimes the players missing due to contact tracing more than it is positive tests within the program. For example, the Aggies were essentially put on ice for two weeks - while playing their best football of the season (in years, actually) - because of two positive player tests. Heck, several days prior to what was supposed to be a home date with Ole Miss last weekend, the Ags didn't have a single player positive within the program, yet couldn't play because more than a dozen players and more than half of the coaching staff were wiped out due to contact tracing. Members of that group tested negative seven times during the 14-day stretch yet were sidelined due to CDC guidelines that somehow seem archaic. Soon enough, we'll see college football employ something close to what the NFL has or at least be able to have players 'test out' of quarantine in 5-7 days or so. Unfortunately, we're not there yet, which is why we're seeing games postponed across the country each and every Saturday and why there's still no telling how many of the Ags' final four contests are actually played. I'm hopeful, and getting LSU to College Station on Friday would be a huge step towards that goal. Credit teams like Mississippi State, Arkansas, Missouri and Kentucky for getting out there and playing when the numbers are working against them, but the contact tracing is strange in that it's typically the road teams that find out upon returning (Sunday's test) that they traveled positive players that take the hardest quarantine hit. See Florida and A&M for proof of that.

    -Speaking of Florida- and LSU, for that matter - those are two teams that seemed to take advantage of the unexpected two game (and three weeks between contests) break. It's also the elephant in the room heading into this weekend. We know A&M has been the better team over the course of six games so far this season and we know the Ags were rolling and playing their best ball prior to hitting the unexpected pause. What we don't know is how long it will take for the Ags to shake any rust off after not playing for what will be three full weeks between games. The weather (rain and cold) is also going to be a factor. Two complete wildcards that certainly make this one nerve-racking but I keep coming back to the fact that each team has played six games this year and the Ags have looked like a legitimate top-5 team while LSU is struggling to figure things out, even during a win last Saturday in Fayetteville.

    -As far as the game itself goes, I'll have plenty more in this week's 'Key Matchups' feature but how about some quick thoughts:

    A&M is close to a two-touchdown favorite in this one, which is pretty remarkable in and of itself. LSU has had an exceedingly difficult time replacing so many All-SEC, All-American and award-winning, NFL players off of last year's championship squad. I said it throughout the off-season: Never before has a team lost so much in a single off-season - First-Rounders, the Heisman Trophy winner, both coordinators, the Thorpe and Biletnifkoff Award winners - you name it, and LSU lost it off of the 2019 squad. And then LSU lost starting QB Myles Brennan.  

    Of course, the Tigers lost to Mississippi State in the season-opener with Brennan and still haven't figured things out on the back end of what is still a very talented defense. Bo Pelini has been a disaster in Baton Rouge thus far and the offense has been inconsistent at best with so much attrition.  

    Bottom line, the team that barely escaped a Co-Vid ravaged Arkansas team last Saturday and was rolled by Auburn to the tune of 48-11 a few weeks ago is one that the Aggies should beat. However, history between the two programs, LSU's overall talent level and the unknown created by the long Aggie layoff makes this one a more dangerous hurdle than the records would indicate.

    Two things stand out in the concern department for me. First, LSU has some big-time players, including future First-Round picks at receiver (Terrace Marshall) and cornerback (Derek Stingley and possibly true freshman Elias Ricks) and a tight end who will probably join Jalen Wydermyer as the league's two best in 2021. LSU is also particularly impressive up front. The Tiger defensive line is likely to give the Ags more problems than any unit since Alabama. They've been leaky in terms of setting the edge against the run but Pelini's front four can get after an opposing o-line and they do it by simply lining up and playing right through the blockers. In other words, they're fine playing heads-up football and have the talent to do so. This will be a legit test for A&M's improved offensive line and the powerful Aggie ground game.

    On the flip side, the folks in Baton Rouge believe the Tigers may have found something in T.J. Finley, an improved defense and a ground game last weekend against Arkansas. I'm skeptical, for several reasons. First off, Arkansas was without six of the top seven defensive linemen on the team due to Co-Vid contact tracing. The Hogs were also without the services of Rakeem Boyd, a 1,000-yard rusher last year who topped the century mark against his old A&M teammates a few weeks ago. The lack of able-bodied d-linemen is a big part of the reason why LSU was able to run the ball with so much success, allow their true freshman quarterback to stay ahead of the chains and control more than 40 minutes of game clock. The Hogs also only rushed three most of the game, allowing Finley to sit back and not deal with much pressure, an odd approach when trying to make things tough on a guy who was starting just his third game. Things should be different on Saturday, considering the fact that the Ags lead the SEC in total defense, rank second against the run and have done a nice job of pressuring the quarterback of late. A&M with Isaiah Spiller, Devon Achane and Ainias Smith and running behind that offensive line is also a little different than what Arkansas brought to the table sans Boyd and with a below-average collection of blockers.

    -For many reasons, this is the most important A&M-LSU game since the Aggies have joined the conference. Such a wild swing in either direction for the winner and loser. That's particularly true for the Aggies, as above all else a win would leave Jimbo's bunch three games away from a possible playoff berth.

    Of course, there are other reasons an Aggie victory would resonate well beyond this season. First and foremost, LSU ran up the score on the Aggies last year en route to clinching an unbeaten regular-season on Senior Night at Tiger Stadium. Ed O, Joe Burrow and the rest of the Bayou Bengals spent the entire off-season crying about the 7OT game being 'stolen' from them and, to their credit, went out and exacted what they felt was revenge a year later (nevermind the fact that the brainchild leading the LSU charge still can't seem to understand that they were in no way robbed of a win). Now it's A&M's turn. Don't get me wrong, the Ags just want to get a win and it's clear that they're focused on a bigger prize than 'payback.' However, pride is a very real thing in athletic competition and I think you're kidding yourself if you think this is just another game for the men in Maroon & White.

    A win would also hit a division rival and it's loudmouth head coach where it really hurts. In addition to keeping the Ags in the top-5 and in playoff contention, a loss would be pretty devastating for the Tigers. LSU would fall to 3-4, with games left against Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss. A year after a perfect 15-0 run to the title, LSU would stand a very real chance of finishing an embarassing 3-7. An Aggie win would also leave A&M 2-1 against LSU under Jimbo Fisher's watch. That two out of three for the head coach who most in Purple and Gold considered 'the one that got away' prior to last season. Win Saturday night at Kyle Field and Fisher will leave Tiger fans feeling that way again.

    The Ags are playing in what is absolutely a 'kick them while they're down' conference and the Ags have the chance to not only keep legitimate playoff hopes alive this weekend but also finally level the playing field (or better) with what is fast-becoming a legitimate rival whether the Tigers admit it or not. LSU has a lot going on right now, between on-field struggles, NCAA clouds hovering over both football and basketball and a possible cover-up scandal reported recently by USA Today. Bama and an SEC championship is the goal for the Aggies, but LSU is absolutely the one program that Fisher and A&M must catch before they emerge as the biggest year-in, year-out threat to Nick Saban and the Tide. They can take a huge step towards that end with a win on Saturday...and I didn't even mention the potential recruiting ramifications in Texas and over into the Bayou State.

    -And in case you're curious, for a rivalry that has been fairly one-sided, there has been quite a bit of theater in this series since the Ags joined the SEC. Think about it: In year one, Johnny Manziel and the Ags came up just short and it turned out to be their last loss of the season. A win would have meant an SEC West title and possibly a natty. There was also the 'Les Miles farewell' game in Death Valley, when the Jimbo deal allegedly fell apart at halftime of the Tiger win. Ed O may have won his way out of 'interim' status with a win at Kyle Field in 2016. Last year's blowout win was a magical night for Joe Burrow and the Bengals at Tiger Stadium for Senior Night and the 2018 7 OT classic will always rate as the most thrilling Aggie victory in school history.

    Still, as far as the Aggies go, this one looms larger than each of the previous eight SEC meetings.

     

    Liucci

    9:05p 

    Staff

    AG

    -Okay, so we know the Aggies have to win out beginning Saturday in order to remain relevant in the playoff discussion. What we didn't know prior to Tuesday night's unveiling, however, was how much respect the Ags' 5-1 start would garner from the committee. Nothing but good news on that front, as the Aggies came in at No. 5, behind only Bama, ND, Clemson and Ohio State.

    Here's the short version as it pertains to the Aggies: The way things started out, I don't see any way an A&M team that finishes 9-1 doesn't end up ranked worse than fourth or fifth in the final playoff rankings. That's all you can ask for, right? 

    Of course, there's a world of difference between finishing fourth and fifth, so let's take a quick look at how things need to shake out.  

    The simplest, most likely scenario involves Bama and Ohio State winning out and it all coming down to what happens when Notre Dame and Clemson square off for a second time in the ACC title game. An Irish win and a 9-1 A&M team would absolutely be in. The same with a blowout win by Clemson, and contrary to what some know-it-all troglodytes in the national media continue to trumpet, a convincing, 'game control' type of win from Dabo, Trevor and Co. could very well do the trick, as well (that might depend on how impressive the Ags are the rest of the way).

    And don't spend too much time worrying about the what ifs in regards to an unbeaten, B1G champion Northwestern. They'd most likely force their way in but it would also come at the expense of Ohio State so they'd essentially flip flop. Where things would get interesting would be if the Buckeyes didn't get enough games in to qualify for the conference title game, allowing the Wildcats to run the table AND OSU to go unbeaten at 6-0. Even if that unlikely scenario played out, that conference isn't getting two in barring a rash of upsets. 

    Obviously, Florida beating Bama would push the Gators past the Ags and Bama would be the second SEC team in. That's understandable if Mullen, Trask and Co. can pull it off. It's also why where UF and A&M initially ranked really didn't matter. The biggest thing was the simple fact that A&M coming in at 5 and UF at 6 showed how much respect the committee had for the Ags' head to head win and body of work to date.

    Speaking of that body of work, I know LSU and Tennessee are down and Ole Miss isn't ranked, but if A&M were able to win four more games and push their win streak to eight entering the final rankings with wins over a big-name programs like those down the stretch (including two on the road), I think folks in the national media are underestimating how much positive momentum the Ags will have in the eyes of the committee at that point. It could weigh very heavily if you're comparing the Ags to a one-loss Notre Dame, an unbeaten Pac 12 champ or a two-loss Big 12 pretender.

    Credit the playoff committee here because it's tough work and it's never been tougher to rank these teams than it is this season. The committee got the initial top four right, IMO. They also did a great job with the all-important 5-8 rankings, as well. There are some things to nitpick after that, but that will never change and it's an impossible, thankless task when you get down past that 8-10 range.

    -So Cincinnati needs a whole heck of a lot of magic to get a look (it's possible but unlikely) and BYU is clearly going to be on the outside looking in, and rightfully so with that ghastly schedule. What I do think Cincy and BYU missing the cut but both likely to remain undefeated will do is create some very interesting NY6 bowl games. The Bearcats and Cougars will be playing in the post-season with everything to prove, which should make for real interest in some of the matchups against big name P5 programs. You can go ahead and throw Coastal Carolina, Marshall, Liberty and SMU and a couple of others in there, as well. This is going to be 'put up or shut up (forever)' SZN for the Group of Five.

    -Here's a VERY interesting note about BYU: So much was made this week about the Cougars unwillingness to schedule Washington for this Saturday on short notice but the reality one such game - even a win - would have meant that Kalani Sitake's team still played only one P5 team all season (and one from the worst major conference in football at that). As the rankings showed, it wouldn't have been close to enough. What is wild, however, is how close the Cougars were in September to hammering out a schedule that included a couple of SEC powers. Before Greg Sankey and Co. decided to go with a conference-only, 10-game slate, BYU opened up with Alabama looked like it was happening. What didn't get as much run was how close the Aggies were to replacing Colorado with BYU a couple of weeks into the schedule. Yes, that was a real thing, which I mentioned once it fell through when the SEC went in-house only. So BYU could have played two of the three best teams in the Southeastern Conference. How much difference would that have made in the playoff discussion? Probably not much, considering the fact that the Cougars would have probably been a competitive 0-2 in said games, both on the road.

    --If you want to know what a good job Jimbo Fisher and his staff have done with this football team in 2020, look no further than some of the big name programs around the country and especially at the B1G.  

    LSU has struggled mightily this year (let's hope that trend continues for the defending champs), Oklahoma dropped two ugly games early on back-to-back weekends and is only hanging around because that league is disgracefully bad, Tennessee has dropped five straight and the Vols are staring L #6 in the face (Florida is up next), Georgia couldn't figure things out at QB and the Dawgs were lapped in losses to Bama and UF. What I'm having a hard time understanding is how terrible the big-name programs in the B1G (excluding Nebraska, who at this point is big-time in name only and it's been that way for longer than even the Longhorns have been irrelevant) have been this season. Penn State and Michigan and absolutely horrendous, Wisconsin looked pretty pedestrian the first time they were challenged in three games and Minnesota has been one of the more disappointing teams coming off of a rousing 2019 season capped off with a bowl win over Auburn. Look, I think P.J. Fleck, Paul Chryst and James Franklin are all very good coaches but coaching in 2020 has been the most unique challenge most college football bosses have ever faced and many a good leader has failed to adjust accordingly. That's what makes what folks like Fisher, Mullen and Brian Kelly have done so far even more impressive.

    As for the Pac-12, that league may as well not be playing football this season. Oregon and USC have both looked very underwhelming and, three games in, are literally halfway done with their regular-season schedules. Because they were the last to join the party, the league's six-game plus one championship weekend set-up is a virtual lock to ensure no one from the conference has much of a shot at crashing the playoff chase and, due to the late start, there's very little chance we're see more than half of the teams even reach the six-game mark. About the only thing I'll credit the league for is its willingness to allow teams to add non-conference games and to adjust the schedule on very short notice in order to just squeeze as many games in as they can. Too little, too late, unfortunately, and the most irrelevant Power 5 conference is so far behind the others at this point that, outside of Oregon and USC, it'll be tough for everyone else in the conference to recover anytime soon.

    -So two weekends with the Aggies sitting it out on the sidelines and I'm not sure more than one or two of the teams I preferred to see win actually walked off of the field with a W. Oh well, if nothing else the last two weekends pushed a pair of pretenders out of the mix, with Wisconsin and Oklahoma State being exposed as frauds. Indiana also exited stage left, though the Hoosiers certainly proved themselves as a very good team in rallying to take Ohio State to a final possession at The Horseshoe. 

    Did I say rally? That's what the national media is doing again. Doing all they can to dig the Big 12 - and Oklahoma, in particular - out of a hole and drop them directly into the playoff discussion. It's not going to work this time, folks. The reason why? The league is out of the conversation no matter how hard the media tries to convince us that "Oklahoma is playing as well as anyone in the country." Ummm, no they're not. They fattened up on TCU, Tech, Kansas and a laughably overrated Oklahoma State squad that barely outlasted Tulsa and lost at home to Texas.

    So when I hear certain drum-bangers start doing this around this same time every year - and this year, the biggest jackass of them all happens to be none other than Tom Herman himself - I actually believe it demonstrates a lack of football intellect or insane 'anti-SEC' bias for anyone to even consider Oklahoma worthy of being in the playoff discussion barring a rash of upsets during the final 3-4 weeks of the season. It's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in all of my years of covering this sport. It really is. And the thing is, there is ZERO chance that the committee would allow a team with those two losses to move up because, while these talking heads make points like "two close losses versus being blown out 52-24" the fact of the matter is one is a single loss AT No. 1 Alabama (by definition, the toughest SOS game you can play), while the other is TWO losses - one to a team that was dragged at home by the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns and has two losses and another that lost to Arkansas freaking State. It's comical at this point.

    Every single year. Big 12 is humiliated during non-conference play, a couple of teams start out 3-0 or 4-1 in conference play to they sneak back up into the top-15, a 'quality' win or two happen in league play as a result and the next thing you know, OU is in the playoff and getting humiliated by an SEC foe in the semis. Not this year, thank goodness.

    -Of course, the SEC team the Sooners could very well draw in the 2020 postseason is none other than your Fightin' Texas Aggies. A 9-1 A&M team that misses the playoffs or an 8-2 Aggie squad would end up in a New Year's Six bowl game. The Orange gets the first at-large crack this year and would probably love to gobble up (it is Thanksgiving after all) an A&M squad ranked No. 5, pitting the Ags against either Clemson, Notre Dame or Miami. However, I've also heard that the bowls will do as much as they can to limit travel (for the teams but especially for fans) as much as possible this time around, which is why I believe we'll see as many 'regional' bowls matchups as possible. That doesn't mean the Orange would pass on matching up, say the No. 5 Ags against No. 6 Notre Dame or Clemson (in this instance, Florida would beat Bama and the loser of the ACC title game would be the odd team out, along with TAMU) but it could mean that an A&M-Miami matchup wouldn't be quite as convenient for all parties as going with The U v Gators in Miami, which would leave the Cotton to set up A&M against a former Big 12 rival like OU or, gasp, even the Texas Longhorns (or Iowa State...whoever wins the Big 12 title). Yep, I know what you're thinking. Just win out and hopefully play your way out of a fifth Big 12 bowl meeting in nine years in the SEC.

    -Another week, another article trying to explain the, wait...what's worse than a dumpster fire? Well, let's just call whatever is going on in Tallahassee something so bad it would make a dumpster fire look so inviting you'd want to roast marshmallows over it. Andrea Adelson's story for ESPN was perhaps the first article from a member of the national football media that wasn't a hit piece on Jimbo Fisher and actually finally really dug into everything that was wrong at Florida State and the things that ultimately played a big role in the national championship-winning head coach leaving for Texas A&M. While that was a nice change of pace, do you know what's been incredibly consistent every time the tired subject comes up following another humiliating FSU defeat? Jimbo Fisher doesn't say a word. In fact, the former Seminole head coach and assistant only speaks favorably of his longtime home. He doesn't have time to worry about his old job because he's so focused on the current task at hand to worry about what anyone has to say. He also knows the truth because he lived it and just isn't wired that way. Fisher has taken the high road at every opportunity since leaving Tallahassee, and I think it's long overdue that someone in the national media pulls their head out of their own ass long enough to recognize that fact the next time they're talking about FSU losing to Pitt, Louisville or NC State while Fisher is in Maroon & White while still taking down the Florida Gators.

    Jimbo Fisher, Dan Mullen and Mario Christobal have probably been the three best hires in college football over the past three seasons, and Jimbo being part of the group is something some of these national types have been embarrassingly slow to catch on to. And if we're really wanting to talk about coaches around the country who actually are doing an absolutely terrible job either this season or at their current stop in general, then Jim Harbaugh, James Franklin, Jeremy Pruitt, Scott Frost and Tom Herman should be absolutely eviscerated for how miserably they've underperformed at their respective spots. Franklin this season (along with Mr. Row Your Boat over at Minnesota) and the rest of that group of 'home run hires' who have been underachieving long enough now that each of their seats is getting warmer with each passing Saturday.

    -If the season ended today, the Ags could add Kyle Trask's name to the list of Heisman Trophy winners that couldn't get past Texas A&M. Granted, Trask threw for over 300 yards and 4 TDs at the stadium he was named after (didn't know if you'd heard) but he and the Gators were outgunned by Kellen Mond and the Aggies on that glorious October afternoon. Anyway, if the Manvel product wins it, he'll continue a pretty amazing trend of 'out of nowhere' winners at quarterback.

    Cam, RGIII, Johnny, Jameis, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow. That's 8 of the last nine QB winners (Marcus Mariota was considered a front-runner entering his junior season) and soon to be nine of ten (if Trask pulls it off) who essentially came out of nowhere to win the award. I'm taking slight liberties with Mayfield but he gets special mention for having been a walk-on who certainly was an afterthought when he showed up at Tech and even before wrestling the job away from our own Trevor Knight in Norman. Anyway, just something wild to think about next summer when you want to wager $100 or so on the 2021 Heisman winner.

    -How about some recruiting quick-hitters? Consider this your pumpkin pie after that Scattershooting football feast.

    When trying to figure out the close out to this year's class, much of the fan debate has centered around how things will shake out along the defensive line, where the Ags still have several nationally-ranked options. I've stated many times now that I believe the Ags' best bets are with DeSoto's Shemar Turner and Philly standout Elijah Jeudy but let me really simplify things and say this: I feel very good about A&M ultimately inking two members of a four-man group that also includes five star Tunmise Adeleye and borderline five Tywone Malone, the No. 1-ranked player in New Jersey. And there's an outside but legitimate shot that the Ags could sign three members of that star-studded quartet.

    -I said this a couple of weeks ago about Florida playmaker Yulkeith Brown about a week or so before he became an Aggie but don't discount Baton Rouge defensive back Jardin Gilbert as a legitimate possibility for the Aggies in the 2020 class. A&M is still all-in on the talented cover man and the Ags have been for a while now. A&M and Bama looked like the two favorites but a recent LSU offer could shake things up. The Ags have real staying power here, however. Beating LSU on Saturday and sending the Tigers' season into a freefall couldn't hurt and if I'm Fisher or Mike Elko, I'm also asking the homegrown Louisiana talent if he's at all familiar with how the Bayou Bengals did another Red Stick safety dirty a year ago at this time. I'm talking about Major Burns, who LSU waited on, flipped from A&M and then cut loose just a week or so before NSD, sending him scrambling to grab one of the final spots in Georgia's class. One thing's for sure, the Ags clearly covet Gilbert as someone who could help push this year's DB haul over the top.

    -Offensive linemen Bryce Foster or Katy Taylor and Fort Bend Christian's Remington Strickland are two coveted Houston-area offensive linemen who are near certainties to choose between A&M and Oklahoma. Because of the Ags' needs up front (not to mention how much time the Ags have invested in the Foster recruitment and the fact he's a lay down difference-maker in the trenches), both recruitments are of particular importance for Jimbo Fisher and Josh Henson. What makes these two even more important (and interesting) is the fact that, if the Ags can pull it off and keep two Texans in their home state, Henson and the Ags would have won five, count 'em, FIVE high-profile recruiting battles against the Sooners over the last two cycles. Foster and Strickland would join Reuben Fatheree, Chris Morris and Akinola Ogunbiyi in College Station, not to mention Trey Zuhn, who also held a committable Sooner offer when he chose A&M. Would send quite the message north of the Red River to Dryfit Lincoln.

    -Winning on Saturday would go a long way towards making this statement ring even more true than it feels today, but don't be surprised to see this year's most high-profile and competitive A&M-Alabama head-to-head end up being the race for New Orleans WR Brian Thomas' signature. The Ags are quietly in probably a greater need to add an impact, pure wide receiver in this class and there are few better in the country than Thomas. As was the case with McKinnley Jackson last year (and Donell Harris out of Florida), the Aggies have done a great job in an out-of-state recruitment, hanging in early and emerging as a much bigger factor late than most on the national landscape seem to realize. Stay tuned.

    -I love this week's offers from the Ags in the Class of '22. Moving on Fort Bend Marshall WR Chris Marshall is really getting ahead of the curve on a very fast and supremely athletic wideout who has terrific size and a basketball background that makes him a very difficult coverage assignment. A&M should be in the thick of things here thanks to Davon Achane no matter how much Marshall's stock soars (which it will). The other offer that I'd love to see end up in Maroon & White down the road is Allen OL Neto Umeozulu. The 6-4, 300-plus pound guard has recently picked up offers from the likes of A&M, Bama and OU. He's actually quite familiar with and fond of the Ags and has been for a while now. He's going to be recruited by everyone but, again, this is a race in which the Ags should have some real staying power. How good to I think Neto is? In another loaded year in the offensive trenches, I think he's in the discussion (and my personal early choice) for No. 1 interior OL in Texas in 2022.

     

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