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The Power Five => SEC => Topic started by: utee94 on November 25, 2024, 08:35:55 AM

Title: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on November 25, 2024, 08:35:55 AM
For me the best thing about Texas joining the SEC, was being reunited with old rivals Arkansas and Texas A&M, while also maintaining the OU rivalry.  I'm old-school and I value rivalries above pretty much everything else in college football.  Winning the conference is great but difficult, winning the national championship is great but REALLY difficult, and both tend to rely on outside forces aligning to enable the event to happen.

But rivalries... that's where your team gets to measure itself directly against those other guys, the ones we just can't stand, and see how things stack up.  A year's worth of bragging rights are table stakes.  Recruiting battles are often involved.  And sometimes, sometimes even a berth in the conference championship game is on the line.

The stakes are high this week.  First meeting in over a decade, tons of recruiting battles involved, the fans are frothing-at-the-mouth excited, and the meeting is a winner-take-all for the second spot in the SEC CCG.  I wish it were on Thanksgiving night as it should be, but we'll just have to make do and be thankful for what we've got.  And what that is, is the biggest Texas-Texas A&M game in at least a half-century.

It'll be a war, it'll be a heartbreaker, and it'll be a lot of fun.

Howdy Ags, glad to see you again.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: MikeDeTiger on November 25, 2024, 10:25:02 AM
Hard to believe it's been over a decade since they last played, yet true.  Craig James called the last UT/A&M game, if that tells you how long ago it was. 

I wonder how many hookers he's killed since then?  
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: MikeDeTiger on November 25, 2024, 10:27:53 AM
If Texas wins they're clearly in the SECCG, having the best record. 

If Texas loses, you've got UT, UGA, A&M, and Tennessee all at 6-2, so then I wonder what happens.  Two of those are in, two are out.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Cincydawg on November 25, 2024, 10:51:24 AM
Texas A&M gets in the dance vs UGA if they win.  It's cut and dried.  Tennessee is out.

Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Cincydawg on November 25, 2024, 10:52:35 AM
SEC:

Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: MikeDeTiger on November 25, 2024, 11:07:25 AM
I feel like a 3-loss team should never have a first round bye in cfb.  But then, I'm still thinking as if the sport I loved still exists.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on November 25, 2024, 11:09:43 AM
Quote from: MikeDeTiger on November 25, 2024, 10:27:53 AM
If Texas wins they're clearly in the SECCG, having the best record. 

If Texas loses, you've got UT, UGA, A&M, and Tennessee all at 6-2, so then I wonder what happens.  Two of those are in, two are out.
Quote from: Cincydawg on November 25, 2024, 10:51:24 AM
Texas A&M gets in the dance vs UGA if they win.  It's cut and dried.  Tennessee is out.



Yup, Texas A&M would own the tie-breakers against all other 2-loss teams except Georgia.  So the winner of the Texas-TAMU game goes to Atlanta to play Georgia for the SEC title.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: MikeDeTiger on November 25, 2024, 11:14:53 AM
I guess I was unclear on how A&M has a tie-breaker vs. Tennessee.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on November 25, 2024, 11:17:51 AM
Quote from: MikeDeTiger on November 25, 2024, 11:14:53 AM
I guess I was unclear on how A&M has a tie-breaker vs. Tennessee.
I don't know either, I guess something to do with conference opponents' win percentage maybe?  Or some other esoteric measure.

But the SEC office has gone through the scenarios and announced that it's Georgia vs. Texas/TAMU winner.

Should be fun!
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: MikeDeTiger on November 25, 2024, 11:48:50 AM
Texas won the Big 12 in that conference's inaugural season.  This conference has been here for a while, but history would sort of repeat itself if Texas won it in their first year of membership. 

Also, I would lolz a little bit, cuz A&M hasn't even made an appearance in the game in over ten years here.  
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Cincydawg on November 25, 2024, 12:42:53 PM
It's conference opponent winning percentages that favors A&M over Tennessee.

I would prefer they take the top ranked team in the CFP, I think.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: MikeDeTiger on November 25, 2024, 01:30:09 PM
Not me.  That'd be more of a beauty pageant metric.  I'm OK with rewarding the team with the better schedule.  
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Cincydawg on November 25, 2024, 01:44:12 PM
It eliminates OOC losses as a factor of course.  And the difference will often be one game, which is not material in my view.

Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on November 25, 2024, 03:07:05 PM
Quote from: MikeDeTiger on November 25, 2024, 11:48:50 AM
Texas won the Big 12 in that conference's inaugural season.  This conference has been here for a while, but history would sort of repeat itself if Texas won it in their first year of membership. 

Also, I would lolz a little bit, cuz A&M hasn't even made an appearance in the game in over ten years here. 
The parallels and history repeating itself run even deeper.  

Texas won the conference football championship in the last year of the SWC in 1995, and then won the conference championship in the first year of their new conference in the B12 in 1996.

Texas won the conference football championship in their last year in the B12 in 2023, and now.... has the chance to win the conference football championship in their first year of their new conference, the SEC, in 2024,

Oh and that Big 12 CCG in 1996 against Nebraska occurred on December 7th.  And I'll give you one guess as to the date of the SEC championship game this year against Georgia....

But, none of that will matter if the Ags out-hate us on Saturday and kill all of our hopes and dreams...
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: CWSooner on November 25, 2024, 04:47:10 PM
Quote from: Cincydawg on November 25, 2024, 10:52:35 AM
SEC:
  • Clinched: Georgia has locked up a spot in the SEC Title Game (https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/georgia-clinches-spot-in-sec-championship-game-thanks-to-tiebreakers-will-play-winner-of-texas-vs-texas-a-m/) for the fourth consecutive year and the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
  • Scenarios: Texas controls its own destiny in its first SEC season and can secure a spot with a win against No. 15 Texas A&M (the Longhorns are currently favored by 7.5 points). Likewise, three-loss Texas A&M can keep its CFP hopes alive by beating Texas. If it does so, it will make the SEC Championship Game to face Georgia, where it can jump from off the bubble to first-round CFP bye if it takes the Dawgs out.
Only the top five-ranked (by the selection committee) conference champs are guaranteed to be in the CFP. Since there are only four power conferences now, the SEC champ is almost certainly going to make the top five, but it's not guaranteed. A 3-loss SEC champ might not be in the top four conference champs, and in that case, it would not get a 1st-round bye.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Cincydawg on November 25, 2024, 04:52:15 PM
Yup.  A 9-4 SEC champ would very often not be a top four conference champ.  
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on November 25, 2024, 05:11:11 PM
That's all very interesting but has nothing to do with the storied and intense Texas-Texas A&M rivalry.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Gigem on November 25, 2024, 09:10:33 PM
The truth is that A&M is just not a good football team this year, and that’s ok. We’re in year 1 with a new coach, coming off a 7-5 or whatever last season was. We lucked out with a weak schedule, and also we had a very capable running game with Moss. 

Our defense is Swiss cheese, and we can’t tackle. Our DB’s only way to defend is to hold the receiver.  We just lost to a very bad Auburn team, and a very average USC before that. 

I won’t entertain any thoughts of winning the game, nor proceeding to the SECCCG. Not impossible, but unlikely. 

I think it will overall be s good game, and Reed will put up respectable numbers. But Ewers is a next level QB, with next level receivers. I think Texas will score between 38-41, and we’ll score between 27-35. So my best guess is A&M 31, Texas 38.  
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: CWSooner on November 26, 2024, 12:51:26 AM
Quote from: Gigem on November 25, 2024, 09:10:33 PM
The truth is that A&M is just not a good football team this year, and that’s ok. We’re in year 1 with a new coach, coming off a 7-5 or whatever last season was. We lucked out with a weak schedule, and also we had a very capable running game with Moss.

Our defense is Swiss cheese, and we can’t tackle. Our DB’s only way to defend is to hold the receiver.  We just lost to a very bad Auburn team, and a very average USC before that.

I won’t entertain any thoughts of winning the game, nor proceeding to the SECCCG. Not impossible, but unlikely.

I think it will overall be s good game, and Reed will put up respectable numbers. But Ewers is a next level QB, with next level receivers. I think Texas will score between 38-41, and we’ll score between 27-35. So my best guess is A&M 31, Texas 38. 
“Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I am attacking.”
~ Gen. Ferdinand Foch at the First Battle of the Marne, September 1914
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Cincydawg on November 26, 2024, 06:20:55 AM


Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on November 26, 2024, 07:01:00 AM
OK so we were pretty much set on going, had (relatively) cheap tickets hooked up from friends, and then my i s c & a aggie told me, "You know, I really just don't want to attend in person.  It's going to be a crowded, crazy madhouse, and I don't want to bother with it."

So now we're trying to figure out how we want to watch the game.  She wants to have friends over, mixed groups of Ags and Horns.  I just don't think that's a great idea, for this first one back.  Emotions are going to be running high even amongst our most rational friends.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on November 26, 2024, 07:11:58 AM
Tacking on to the discussion about the running game, from the other thread-- it was great to see Texas really pounding the ball to close out the 4th quarter against Kentucky.  I suspect we'd have seen the same thing against Michigan, but that game was basically over at halftime so Sark was just scrimmaging during the second half.

The key similarity being, Texas knew it was up against very strong d-lines, and so during the opening stanzas of the game, Sark used a lot of horizontal passing and horizontal running, to force the front 7 into a lot of side-to-side movement.  It worked well to tire them out, and then when they started subbing in their less experienced and less talented guys, he'd go right at them.  In the Michigan game it started working immediately in the first quarter, for Kentucky it took longer but by the end of the 3rd quarter, their defense was gassed, and the Texas running game was open to do just about whatever it wanted.

Given the talent and experience of the A&M d-line, I expect a similar strategy from Sark in this one.  I think we'll see a lot of sideways stuff early in an effort to wear out that tough d-line, plus the fact that A&M has showed some vulnerability on the outside.  But later in the game I think Sark will move the game more inside, and also start running more.  But that's only if he's got a lead or the game is close.  If Texas is trailing early, or trailing big, then he'll clearly have to open things up more.

I'd like to think he's going to take more deep shots because that's another area of vulnerability for an A&M secondary that honestly just looks completely lost quite a bit of the time, but going deep hasn't been much of a signature move for the Sark/Ewers offense, even when Ewers has been healthy.  So I'm not sure it's reasonable to expect to see it this game, either.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: MikeDeTiger on November 26, 2024, 12:45:46 PM
For a reason, I think.  Ewers and the deep ball is the one area Texas is not elite, imo. 

There's barely a way to beat Texas if Ewers is playing well.  If he were to find the magic lever that made his long balls more accurate, I'm not sure there is a way to beat them.  
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on November 27, 2024, 03:58:22 PM
It's not elite, but lots of teams' deep ball isn't elite.  It's still part of the arsenal that needs to be used, and helps the entire offense, the more it needs to be treated as a threat.

When Ewers is healthy it's good enough. And I'd love to see it featured this Saturday.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Gigem on November 28, 2024, 12:41:56 PM
I was thinking about this today.  If you could trade one rivalry game for another ( talking W’s vs Losses), which one would it be?  

I’d trade 1998’s loss when Ricky broke the record. That was a heartbreaker. In exchange I’d give the 2007 game up.  Frans last game. 
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: nwms on November 29, 2024, 11:41:08 AM
Quote from: utee94 on November 26, 2024, 07:01:00 AM
OK so we were pretty much set on going, had (relatively) cheap tickets hooked up from friends, and then my i s c & a aggie told me, "You know, I really just don't want to attend in person.  It's going to be a crowded, crazy madhouse, and I don't want to bother with it."

So now we're trying to figure out how we want to watch the game.  She wants to have friends over, mixed groups of Ags and Horns.  I just don't think that's a great idea, for this first one back.  Emotions are going to be running high even amongst our most rational friends.

be sure to pass my vote onto the wife: invite them over, get everyone drunk, & then let the royal rumble ensue.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: MikeDeTiger on November 29, 2024, 06:03:34 PM
You had me at "get everyone drunk." 
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on November 30, 2024, 07:56:46 AM
Quote from: Gigem on November 28, 2024, 12:41:56 PM
I was thinking about this today.  If you could trade one rivalry game for another ( talking W’s vs Losses), which one would it be? 

I’d trade 1998’s loss when Ricky broke the record. That was a heartbreaker. In exchange I’d give the 2007 game up.  Frans last game.
Hmmm.  I really don't know.  I hated losing that 2006 game, but it was mostly because there were 2 really obnoxious aggie fans right behind me, giving me shit toward the end of the game.  My i s c & a aggie wife was so embarrassed about their behavior, she asked them to please stop and they called her a 2%er.  Not sure what win I'd give up though.  

Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Gigem on November 30, 2024, 10:27:21 AM
Quote from: utee94 on November 30, 2024, 07:56:46 AM
Hmmm.  I really don't know.  I hated losing that 2006 game, but it was mostly because there were 2 really obnoxious aggie fans right behind me, giving me shit toward the end of the game.  My i s c & a aggie wife was so embarrassed about their behavior, she asked them to please stop and they called her a 2%er.  Not sure what win I'd give up though. 
2006 was 12-7 one, correct?  That was a great game, first and only one we won in Austin during my time as a fan. Plus, we knocked UT out of the CCG, if I’m remembering correctly. 
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on November 30, 2024, 10:29:07 AM
Quote from: Gigem on November 30, 2024, 10:27:21 AM
2006 was 12-7 one, correct?  That was a great game, first and only one we won in Austin during my time as a fan. Plus, we knocked UT out of the CCG, if I’m remembering correctly.
I don't recall the stakes.  All I remember is the assholes behind me.  My wife was so disappointed in aggie fans that day, I think it directly affected her fanship.  She really seemed to believe that aggie fans were somehow different and better than others, so when faced with obvious evidence to the contrary, she was pretty disillusioned.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Gigem on November 30, 2024, 10:34:21 AM
Yeah, you can have bad fans on all teams. I think it probably stems from the long losing streak we had at the time, as I recall from 2000-2005, so 6 in a row.  A lot of non competitive games in that era too, and a lot of bad losing seasons. No excuses for bad behavior, but hopefully it’s few and far between. 

I remember my first A&M game in 1997, couple of Longhorns in our area. We generally left them alone, and they cheered for their team and we cheered for ours. They were smack dab in the middle of hostile territory, I remember thinking they were brave. 
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on November 30, 2024, 10:40:54 AM
Oh I recall plenty of loudmouth asshole aggie fans in Austin in 1990 after the ags' 6 straight wins as well.  Point being, there are asshole fans in every fanbase, and it's silly to try to hold your fanbase above it all, because in reality they're all the same.

Anyway, I've had several good experiences at Kyle Field wearing orange and sitting in the midst of Aggies all around.  Bad behavior is not a universal thing, to be sure.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Gigem on November 30, 2024, 10:43:51 AM
Quote from: utee94 on November 30, 2024, 10:40:54 AM
Oh I recall plenty of loudmouth asshole aggie fans in Austin in 1990 after the ags' 6 straight wins as well.  Point being, there are asshole fans in every fanbase, and it's silly to try to hold your fanbase above it all, because in reality they're all the same.

Anyway, I've had several good experiences at Kyle Field wearing orange and sitting in the midst of Aggies all around.  Bad behavior is not a universal thing, to be sure.
Some people just take this way too personal. 
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on November 30, 2024, 10:46:40 AM
Definitely.

We're going to have to be on our best behavior tonight.  I'm not even inviting my most... strident... Longhorn friends.  Mostly just our friends who sometimes forget there's even a game on.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: MikeDeTiger on November 30, 2024, 02:10:04 PM
....So, I'll be there at 6:30? 

I got turkey and sausage gumbo.  
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: MikeDeTiger on November 30, 2024, 02:16:20 PM
I haven't been to a ton of other stadiums where we were the away team.  Most of the other places I've visited had nothing to do with us.  So maybe it's no surprise the biggest assholes I've dealt with were ours.  Thus, unlike Mrs. Utee, I've never been under any illusion we had no buttheads.  My earliest memory in Tiger stadium is dad taking me to an Ole Miss game and two old farts were trash talking OM constantly.  I don't remember any OM fans being around....they were just old geezers who couldn't stop trash talking.  As I recall, we lost that game.  

I occasionally ran into UT assholes at my many DKR appearances, but they tended to be a higher class of a-hole.  More t-sip arrogance vibe than working class potty mouths. 
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on December 01, 2024, 06:34:52 AM
Quote from: MikeDeTiger on November 30, 2024, 02:10:04 PM
....So, I'll be there at 6:30?

I got turkey and sausage gumbo. 
Oh man bring it on!

Well that game was tough, as I expected.  The crowd was crazy, as I expected.  Horns defense was good, as I expected.  Horns offense and special teams put a bullet directly into the foot 4 times in the second half... did not expect that.

Anyway, that was definitely a "survive and advance" kind of game, which I also expected.  Best of luck to the Ags in the bowl game and we'll see you in Austin next year!
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: longhorn320 on December 01, 2024, 10:10:50 AM
I thought using Arch near the goalline was a nice touch and I did not expect that
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on December 01, 2024, 10:33:46 AM
Quote from: longhorn320 on December 01, 2024, 10:10:50 AM
I thought using Arch near the goalline was a nice touch and I did not expect that
Yeah, as long as it's not over-used.  They were ready for it the second time. I really thought Sark would have him come in and throw.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Gigem on December 01, 2024, 12:13:55 PM
Ugh. Not surprised by the loss, but I was very surprised by how badly our offense played, especially our OL in short yardage situations. I said before this game started that our OL was not good, but they were even worse than I expected. Play calling leaves a lot to be desired as well, but that’s basically Elkos MO.  He’s going to run the ball.  It sucks to end the season with 3 conference losses in a row, two of which were easily within reach. 

Not sure if losing Moss really hurt us that badly or not, but we never played the same. 

Congrats on the win.  Now you get your rematch with Georgia, in Georgia. Speaking of which , does anybody know if the SECCCG will ever be held anywhere else?  Like Houston or Dallas?  
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on December 01, 2024, 12:53:02 PM
Quote from: Gigem on December 01, 2024, 12:13:55 PM
Speaking of which , does anybody know if the SECCCG will ever be held anywhere else?  Like Houston or Dallas? 

I think they recently re-upped the contract in Atlanta for a good while longer, but I wouldn't be surprised if eventually they rotate to Texas every now and then.  Legacy SEC teams are regularly scheduling 1-off neutral site games in Texas for the exposure, seems like a slam dunk to host a championship game there.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Gigem on December 02, 2024, 12:28:20 AM
I didn’t realize it, but the last time we played in 2011 social media was nothing like it is today, with all the media editing abilities and meme generation.  Not even sure if twitter was a thing.  Facebook still had the wall.  Anyways, it’s brutal out there. Compared to the message board trash talking of yore, it’s a whole new world. 
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on December 02, 2024, 08:23:59 AM
Yeah, it seems to be a mess.  Glad I don't read any of it.  I hope kids these days have thicker skins than I would have.  They've grown up with it so perhaps they're used to it.
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: MikeDeTiger on December 02, 2024, 12:37:25 PM
I first heard of Twitter in 2008, and before long most people my age I knew were using it.  I've never used it, but I reckon by 2011 it had a lot going on.  
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Gigem on December 02, 2024, 01:45:25 PM
Oh, I know Twitter existed back then. Just like Facebook. I’m just not sure how active they were back in that era. At one time, message boards like this one dominated social media. I did not join either one until years later. 

2011, did instagram, tik tok, and all the other sites exist ?  I don’t think they did. Anyways, it’s just a little different I think. 
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: MikeDeTiger on December 02, 2024, 01:51:53 PM
Can't say I remember when Instagram blew up.  

As for Twitter, because I never used it, I couldn't tell you about its cfb content compared to message boards.  I just know that in 2008 everyone I knew wouldn't shut up about it and were apparently airing all their thoughts there. 
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: Gigem on December 04, 2024, 10:08:43 PM
9.5 million viewers. Would’ve thought it would be more. 
Title: Re: Hate Week #3 -- This Time It's An All-Texas Thing
Post by: utee94 on December 05, 2024, 09:51:19 AM
Quote from: Gigem on December 04, 2024, 10:08:43 PM
9.5 million viewers. Would’ve thought it would be more.

Yeah I was a little surprised as well.  The numbers probably would have been higher if Texas hadn't jumped out to an early lead.  Switch the second half with the first half and it almost certainly tops 10M.