Football 2024: Conference Championships

The 2024 college football regular season has been completed, and this weekend's schedule consists mainly of conference championship games. The schedule looks weird because so much conference realignment occurred this year. For example, the ACC championship game features Clemson (9-3) vs SMU (11-1), and the Big 12 game has Iowa State vs Arizona State (both 10-2). In the Big Ten, the match-up is Penn State (11-1) vs Oregon (12-0). The Pac-12 was considered one of the five power leagues, but that one no longer exists. Its former members are scattered all over the map now.

This mumbling has mainly been an introduction to comments about the SEC championship game (to be shown on ABC at 3:00 Central from Atlanta). The competing teams are Georgia (10-2) vs Texas U (11-1). Georgia gets credit for handing the longhorns their only loss (30-15 in Austin), but Texas U is still favored to win today by 2.5 or 3.0 points, depending on where you look. 

Georgia's losses came against Alabama (41-34) and Ole Miss (28-10). Texas U has some wins that seemed sort of impressive at the time, against Michigan (7-5), Oklahoma (6-6), Vanderbilt (6-6), Florida (7-5), Arkansas (6-6), and Kentucky (4-8). The only longhorn wins against teams with at least eight wins came against Colorado State (8-4) early and Texas A&M (8-4) late.

I'm not in love with the Georgia Bulldogs, but I despise the Texas U longhorns. The realization that Texas U might win a championship in their first season as an active SEC member makes me want to puke. College Football News expects both teams will struggle, but predicts a 27-23 win for the Bulldogs. Texas U losing is the outcome I want to watch on TV this afternoon.

Update 7:05 PM Saturday: There was a lot of back-and-forth scoring, and the game ended 16-16 in regulation. Georgia won the game in overtime 22-19, scoring a touchdown after holding Texas U to a field goal. It wasn't the type of ass-whipping I hoped to see Texas U suffer, but I'll take a Bulldog win any way I can get one.

Football 2024: Fourteenth Week (Texas U)

The regular season comes to an end tonight, and there are several rivalry games being played in various college football stadiums this weekend. One of them will see a bitter rivalry that lasted over a hundred years resumed at Kyle Field when Texas U (10-1) visits Texas A&M (8-3). The game will be televised on ABC at 6:30 PM Central.

About this so-called rivalry: Texas U has the upper hand with a 76-37-5 record. The most recent game was played at Kyle Field on 11/24/2011, Mike Sherman was coaching the Aggies, who lost the game 27-25. The most recent A&M win was the previous year (2010) in Austin, final score 24-17. Assuming the Aggie seniors are all about 21 years old, they would have been about eight years old when the most recent A&M vs Texas U game was played. Assuming the freshmen are all about 18 years old, they would have been five years old then. The point is, how relevant is this historic rivalry game to players who were children the last time it was played?

The Texas U longhorns are 5 1/2 point favorites, and A&M has been stomped at South Carolina (4-3) and lost in OT at Auburn (4-6). Texas U has lost only once, to powerhouse Georgia. Although the longhorns have a more impressive season record, College Football News has predicted the Aggies will somehow win tonight in a 24-23 squeaker. We'll see about that.

Update 10:58 PM Saturday: Texas A&M couldn't get much accomplished on offense or defense in the first half, which ended with Texas U ahead 17-0. We left the game and watched episodes of Cheers-Season One on DVD instead, which was much more entertaining. The final score was 17-7.

Update added Sunday morning: The only score in the second half of last night's game came with about six minutes remaining in the third quarter. Aggie DB Will Lee III (a junior transfer from Kansas State) intercepted a longhorn pass and returned it 93 yards for an Aggie touchdown. I saw it on a highlight video after the game, but it was too little, too late. That's becoming typical as the 2024 season crawls to another disappointing finish.

Football 2024: Thirteenth Week (at Auburn)

It's time to return my attention to football since Texas A&M (8-2) is playing on the road at Auburn (4-6) tonight (6:30 PM Central on ESPN). Based on their season records so far, this would seem to be a fairly easy win for the Aggies, but as an SEC West divisional opponent since 2012, Auburn has been formidable with twelve games split 6-6 for each team. Texas A&M earned one of its most meaningful wins after the 1985 season, defeating Auburn 36-16 in the Cotton Bowl. That Auburn team featured star running back Bo Jackson, too.

Back to the game tonight: The Aggies are still in the running for the conference championship with only one SEC loss (to South Carolina). Auburn is struggling, but could make their season with a victory against the Aggies. A&M is the favorite at 1.5 points. According to College Football News, Auburn is the better team when it comes to avoiding penalties and turnovers, and those could be factors contributing to an Aggie defeat. The CFN prediction is a 26-20 win for A&M heading into the showdown against former SWC and Big 12 rival Texas U. in their next game. 

Update 11:00 PM Saturday: Texas A&M fell behind 21-0 in the second quarter, but was able to get ahead 31-28 in the fourth quarter. Normally I would have turned off the TV when the score was 14-0, but for some reason I thought A&M might come back to win, with three quarters still left to play at that point. No such luck, though. Aggie penalties and turnovers kept them from scoring the points necessary to bury Auburn, and they eventually lost the game (43-41) in the fourth overtime period. Adios, SEC championship fantasies.

A Brief Break From Football

During football season, Hot Water Sandwich is devoted almost entirely to college football generally, and Texas A&M /SEC games particularly. I try to post my opinions on all five blogs in chronological order, and I've posted stuff on all four of the other siblings since the last time there was a football weekend discussed here. 

After the recent election disaster on November 5th, I was stunned by MVP's loss to Slobbo the HOT (Huge Orange Turd). I was sure Kamala Harris would win all three Blue Wall states, and at least two of the Sun Belt swing states, but it didn't happen. I'm still not sure there was no illegal manipulation of the voting in some of those swing states.

At any rate, being as stunned and disappointed as I was, I had no tolerance for the crap being reported at most of the liberal Alternative Media sources. Since I didn't keep up with things that were happening, I had nothing to express opinions about. 

When I'm reading articles at the liberal Alternative Media web pages about current politics, I visualize MAGA as thousands of lazy fat pigs who love to wallow around in shallow pools of their own biological waste. All red states have areas of a few hundred acres that are fenced in, where their lazy fat pigs can wallow happily in their own shit. 

The thousands of MAGA swine are led by an enormous orange pig called Covfefe, who weighs roughly 800 pounds and demands that the smaller pigs lick him clean after he joins them for several hours of wallowing in their excrement.

Update added 2:13 PM Friday 11/22: As soon as the election had been called in his favor, Slobbo the HOT began his victory gloating, insisting that he'd won a monumental landslide and an unprecedented mandate. What he failed to realize was that several blue states were days away from completing tabulation of the popular vote. Now that the counting is being finished, Slobbo has won the Electoral College - but he won less than fifty percent of the national popular vote for the third time in three tries. So much for his unprecedented mandate. 

(--- and the horse he rode in on. Maybe he enjoys looking like an ignorant asshole, because that's what he is if he thinks a majority of Americans want him to deliver on the horrible stuff he promised to do during his campaign pep rallies).

Football 2024: Twelfth Week (New Mexico State)

Texas A&M football is back after an open date last Saturday, and the Aggies of Texas A&M (7-2) will host the Aggies of New Mexico State (2-7) at Kyle Field (SEC Network at 6:45 PM Central). The A&M Aggies are favored by 39 points, making this another nothing-burger game. The teams played once before (Kyle Field 2016), with Texas A&M winning 52-10.

College Football News reports the New Mexico State offense is built around its strong running game, but its passing attack is much less effective. The CFN prediction is that A&M's defense should be able to concentrate on stopping the run to produce a 48-7 win.

Updated 1:46 PM Sunday: The Texas A&M Aggies beat the New Mexico State Aggies, but didn't cover the spread with a 38-3 win.

Football 2024: Eleventh Week (Open Date)

Considering the horrifying political activity this week, Texas A&M football doesn't seem particularly important anymore. That makes today a perfect time for the team to enjoy an open date rather than struggle to be competitive in the SEC West. We'll see how things look next week in a non-conference game against New Mexico State.

Football 2024: Tenth Week (at Gamecocks)

The win over LSU at home last week might have made the season for Texas A&M. Now the Aggies (7-1) travel to play South Carolina (4-3), which got an impressive (35-9) road win against Oklahoma in their latest game. Are the Gamecocks that good, or are the Sooners pathetic this season?

The A&M game will be on ABC at 6:30 PM Central, and the Aggies are a 2.5 point favorite. It's not clear whether Conner Weigman will return as the starting quarterback, but comparing their accomplishments against LSU, I think Marcel Reed has earned another look as the starter tomorrow.

College Football News predicts Texas A&M should be able to pull out a 24-21 win on the road tomorrow. 

Update 10:09 AM Sunday: Daylight saving time might have ended before midnight for Texas A&M, or maybe the team was overconfident after steamrolling LSU last week. Whatever the reason, they weren't ready for what South Carolina was using against them. Aggie fans can stop daydreaming about A&M being undefeated in SEC games after the Gamecocks turned a 20-20 tie at halftime into a 44-20 embarrassment. A&M has been a team that has trouble managing success for most of the years I've been watching their games.

Football 2024: Ninth Week (LSU)

Texas A&M begins the roughest part of its schedule tonight with a home game against LSU (ABC at 6:30 PM Central). The Aggies have been playing games against LSU off and on for decades, and have lost most of them (23-36-3 overall). Both teams have 6-1 records, with LSU ranked 8th and A&M ranked 14th. The Aggies are a 2.5 point favorite, presumably due to home field advantage?

College Football News forecast?  LSU holds the advantage with a better DL pass rush and better OL pass protection. In SEC West games against LSU since 2012, Texas A&M has struggled to win three times (3-9 overall), with all three wins at Kyle Field. CFN expects LSU to achieve a minor 27-26 upset, possibly with a late field goal.

 I usually dislike Aggie night games on TV because the only ones worth watching generally run long and interfere with my bedtime routine. If A&M is going to lose tonight, I hope it doesn't happen on the final play in the third overtime period. 

Updated 10:53 PM Saturday: My usual procedure is to stay with the Aggies in each football game until they fall behind on the scoreboard by more than ten points. In the first half, A&M stumbled around and was behind LSU 17-7 at halftime. I decided to stick with them in the second half as long as they stayed within ten points. By the time I got back to the game, Conner Weigman was on the sideline and Marcel Reed was playing quarterback. All of a sudden, the Aggies were on fire, making big plays on offense and defense, and they outscored LSU in the 3rd and 4th quarters 31-6, for a final score of 38-23. The Aggies are the only SEC team that hasn't lost a conference game yet, and I'm just glad I didn't stop watching the game at halftime.