Back in the old days when the Aggies were still good, I used to watch as many college football games as I could cram into Saturday: the Aggie game if it was on, any other high profile SWC or Big 12 conference games, and the best games featuring top teams from other conferences.
I learned that if I wanted to enjoy games with Big Ten, Pac 10, ACC, and SEC teams, I needed a formula to decide which teams to root for. What I came up with was slightly complicated, but basically involved determining which team had defeated or lost to the Aggies or the longhorns most recently. For example, if a Big Ten team A&M had beaten in the last 20 years or so was playing an SEC team A&M had lost to in the same time span, I'd root for the Big Ten team. Or, let's say a team A&M lost to was playing a team that had beaten both Texas and A&M. I'd pull for the one that defeated t.u. That's more or less how it worked, but sometimes the formula resulted in some convoluted decision-making.
Today's first game is Notre Dame at Michigan. The Wolverines gave the Aggies one of their most memorable thrashings in 1977, when the Aggies were undefeated heading into Ann Arbor to play on national TV one Saturday. Michigan stomped the Aggies every way they could be stomped and won 41-3. That was a fairly good A&M team that finished with a decent 8-4 record, but was exposed when it played a national powerhouse from another conference. The next time the Aggies played Michigan was at the end of the 1995 season, in the Alamo Bowl. That time, the Aggies kicked enough field goals to escape with a 22-20 victory.
The Aggies are 2-3 all-time against Notre Dame, winning the first matchup 35-10 in one of my favorite Cotton Bowl games, then losing three straight in consecutive Cotton Bowls (1993-94) and at Notre Dame in 2000. The most recent game was played in 2001, after the Irish had gone into the tank, and A&M got a solid 24-3 win.
Based on the formula, Michigan and the Irish both lost to TAMU in their most recent game, but the Alamo Bowl game was nowhere near as exciting as that 35-10 Cotton Bowl triumph, so I'll pull for Notre Dame. Plus, Michigan let the longhorns beat them in the Rose Bowl when Vince Young was still wearing burnt orange, so screw them.
The next game, at 3:00 pm, features UCLA at Tennessee. The Aggies, under Slocum, played UCLA in the Cotton Bowl after the 1997 season and lost 29-23, a game in which they were competitive. Later, under Fran, they played Tennessee in the 2005 Cotton Bowl and were humiliated 38-7 in a loss that might have been the beginning of the end for Franchione. Based on margins of defeat, I have to go with UCLA against the Vols.
Finally, the Big Enchilada of the day. Southern Cal at Ohio State, 7:00 pm. Again, two teams with bowl game history against the Aggies. The Trojans beat TAMU in the 1975 Liberty Bowl (a 20-0 shutout) and the 1977 Bluebonnet Bowl (a 47-28 romp, with USC scoring at will against an A&M team that hadn't recovered from the pounding Texas and Earl Campbell gave them on Turkey Day, or maybe even that 41-3 ass-whipping at Michigan).
Ohio State has been a bowl game nemesis for A&M, beating them 28-12 in Jackie's second Cotton Bowl (1986 season), and 24-14 in the Sugar Bowl, right after RC had pulled off a miracle to win the Big 12 title in 1998.
Four bowl games, four losses. But the Sugar Bowl defeat by Ohio State is most recent, plus I've adopted USC as my new favorite team, so this one's a no-brainer. Go Trojans.
Added 6:24 pm, same day: Well, the afternoon games finished at almost exactly the same time. They were both nailbiters and I was working the remote, switching back and forth between 'em. As it turned out, Michigan scored a late TD (under 15 seconds left) and pulled out a come-from-behind win over Notre Dame (38-34). Unlike the Irish, UCLA was able to hold their lead, and knocked off Tennessee 19-15. So color me 1-1 for the day so far, with the big tamale still pending.
Added 10:34 pm, same day: Make it 2-1 after Southern Cal staged a classic late fourth quarter comeback to beat Ohio State, 18-15. These aren't the same Trojans that I've been watching the past few years, but they're still pretty damned good. Good enough to go undefeated ? Probably not, but good enough to get out of Columbus with the W.
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