Any chance OU's Big 12 'Game of the Year' is against A&M?
Published: 6/22/2011 11:46 AM
Last Modified: 6/22/2011 11:46 AM
There's a reason they moved Bedlam to the first Saturday of December, where the Big 12 championship used to go. It looks like the conference Game of the Year for 2011.
But what if Texas A&M beats Oklahoma State Sept. 24 (possible, especially considering it's a night game at Kyle Field)?
What if A&M beats Arkansas the week after OSU? And wins at Texas Tech the week after Arkansas? And beats Missouri Oct. 29?
What if the Aggies are 8-0 when they come to Oklahoma Nov. 5?
Looks more like a Game of the Year than Bedlam, all of a sudden.
Maybe it's time we pay attention to what KC Joyner wrote for ESPN.com last April, in a piece titled "Why Texas A&M can win the Big 12." Among his reasons…
Aggies quarterback Ryan Tannehill is comparable to Landry Jones.
Aggies wide receiver Jeff Fuller is comparable to Ryan Broyles.
Aggies running backs Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael are more proven than Roy Finch and Brandon Williams.
The Aggies' schedule is friendlier than OU's.
I'm more prepared to give Joyner that last one than the first three. A&M gets OSU at home, while OU goes to Stillwater. A&M gets Texas at home, while the Sooners battle in the Cotton Bowl. A&M's nonconference challenge is Arkansas on a neutral field, while OU must visit Florida State.
Honestly, until we see teams actually play football again, schedules should be a hefty factor in preseason rankings.
But is it enough to take A&M seriously as a Big 12 championship/BCS threat? They won nine games a year ago, punked OU at the Station, tied for first place in the Big 12 South and went to the Cotton Bowl.
Still, there's something about the Aggies that doesn't quite feel trustworthy. There's something that makes me think OSU will win at Kyle Field to entrench Bedlam as the Big 12 Game of the Year.
Andy Staples put it better than I can on SI.com: "The Aggies have the scheme and the talent to beat anyone, but do they have the correct attitude?...
"A program can change its schemes and upgrade its talent to forge a new identity. Changing a culture is another matter."
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
