Tag: Dennis Franchione

Texas A&M football’s preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll rankings since 2000

Texas A&M football has seen its share of ups and downs since 2000, and we’re here to take you down memory lane from a rankings perspective from the last 22 seasons.

Texas A&M Football has seen its fair share of ups and downs since the 2000 season, and since the end of Head Coach R. C. Slocum’s 13-year reign, the Aggies saw a mix of epic lows and exciting highs, culminating with quarterback Johnny Manziel’s 2012 Heisman-winning season, and an 11-2 finish.

Since 2000, Texas A&M has been ranked in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll nearly a dozen times, while the program has cycled through a total of three coaches since, as current Head Coach Jimbo Fisher is entering his sixth season after enduring the dreadful 5-7 campaign in 2022. Since 2018, the Aggies have been ranked four straight seasons in the preseason rankings but have yet to live up to their lofty expectations since his arrival.

The USA TODAY Sports AFCA football coaches poll is produced weekly throughout the regular season with a voting panel consisting of 65 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches. The panel randomly chooses from a pool of coaches who indicated interest in participating. From a points perspective, A first-place vote is worth 25 points; second place is 24 points, and 1 point for the team at No.25.

Here at Aggies Wire, we’ll see where Texas A&M has been ranked in the preseason and at the end of each season since 2000 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA football coaches poll. Enjoy the trip down memory lane!

SEC media days: Discussing Josh Heupel at UT, his tenure in relation to Dennis Franchione at Alabama

SEC media days: Discussing Josh Heupel’s Tennessee tenure in relation to Dennis Franchione at Alabama

The 2021 Southeastern Conference football media days will take place July 19-22 at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham-Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama.

First-year Vols’ head coach Josh Heupel will join Tennessee student-athletes Velus Jones Jr. and Alontae Taylor at SEC media days on July 20.

Ahead of SEC media days, Pete Fiutak of College Football News joined the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days” to discuss the 2021 season and Tennessee under Heupel.

Fiutak discussed how Tennessee’s program and Heupel as a head coach should not be under sold.

A topic of discussion was Heupel at Tennessee in relation to when Dennis Franchione served as Alabama’s head coach (2001-02) before NCAA sanctions hampered the Crimson Tide’s program.

Alabama coach Dennis Franchione is shown in Sept. 2001. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Franchione was hired as Alabama’s head coach in Nov. 2000. He replaced Mike DuBose who was fired following a 3-8 season in 2000.

Franchione inherited NCAA sanctions, like Heupel is expected at Tennessee.

Alabama’s sanctions were announced heading into Franchione’s second season with the Crimson Tide in Feb. 2002. The Crimson Tide received five years probation, including a two-year postseason ban due to a recruiting scandal in which boosters were accused of paying money for players. Alabama also received scholarship reductions.

Franchione led Alabama to a 10-3 season in 2002 and ended the Crimson Tide’s seven-year losing streak to Tennessee. After finishing 17-8 in two seasons at Alabama, Franchione departed the Crimson Tide to become Texas A&M’s head coach.

His departure came before scholarship reductions hampered Alabama’s program.

Josh Heupel, Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Tennessee fired head coach Jeremy Pruitt with cause on Jan. 18 after an investigation showed evidence of multiple Level I and Level II NCAA recruiting rules violations during his tenure.

Tennessee is awaiting sanctions from the NCAA.

Below is commentary of discussing Heupel at Tennessee following Pruitt’s departure due to violations and when Franchione was hired at Alabama with NCAA sanctions forthcoming.

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