For the third time in two weeks, Texas A&M has been listed as one of the most overrated teams heading into the 2022 college football season after recently landing in the Top 10 in USA TODAY’s Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, ranked 7th in the country. With multiple media outlets such as On3 and Athlon Sports noting Texas A&M’s recent problems of failing to live up to preseason expectations, the cries have only gotten louder as the Aggies kick off the season in 20 days.
Last week, USA TODAY writer Erik Smith detailed his reasoning for labeling the program as overvalued, listing Texas A&M among five other “Overrated” teams including USC, Pittsburgh, Texas, and Cincinnati. Smith took the historical route with his explanation for including the Aggies:
“Every time Lucy pulls the football away from Charlie Brown, there is always the glimmer of hope that one day he will kick the ball. Such is the case with predictions for the Aggies. This is still a program – despite all its fanfare – that has only twice finished with fewer than four losses this century and has only been ranked at the end of six seasons during the same span. Optimism that “this” is the year A&M breaks through and contends for the SEC title is built on some fantastic recruiting classes that Jimbo Fisher put together. However, it’s play on the field that matters and until expectations meet reality there are going to be doubters. The biggest question mark is at quarterback where only LSU transfer Max Johnson has significant experience. There’s talent on the line of scrimmage, but it is young and how the grind of the SEC impacts those groups is unknown. The Aggies will be good. But being top-10 good seems a stretch given their difficult schedule and still green group of talented underclassmen.”
Yes, there are question marks on both offense and defense mostly having to do with youth and inexperience, but the line between “good” and “great” for this 2022 squad is getting thinner and thinner as the quarterback battle reaches its final stages, the offensive line solidifies its starting rotation, and the defense figures out its rotation as one of the deepest and most talented groups since the days of the Wrecking Crew. It’s not perfect, but the reason or optimism mirrors its initial ranking; This year will be different.
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