What is it about ATM that is getting all this hype? Is it JFF alone? Of the powers in the SEC West, ATM has to replace more on D than LSU & Bama. I know ATM will likely have a good O if not great, but man, D wins the ship.... Just my 2 cents. Not to mention they have a new OC, lost Swope and have a big hole to fill on the O'line. I just think its a bit much to assume ATM is Elite already...
I've wondered this myself. It's all about the glamour positions, and QB is the sexiest of them all. Little do they know...a QB is only as good as his receivers and O-Line. And the TEAM won't win many games without a D. Look at the Saints in Payton's first few years...top notch offense but no D? A&M wins 8 games at most. 6 without JFF.
On one hand, last year was supposed to be "the year" for Sherman from an overall talent perspective. Do you give Sherman some credit for last year or is it primarily Sumlin? If it's Sumlin, then I can see how the national media would think that last year's success with a freshman QB in a huge step up in competition could translate to a similar year despite some challenges. My opinion is that the OL, WR, and OC losses are going to be too much to overcome. If they somehow don't miss a step, then Sumlin and/or Foosball are even better than we're giving them credit at the moment. Or maybe there is a conspiracy to have A&M and Bama in the top 5 when they face off in a few weeks.
So Sumlin is winning with Sherman's players...sounds familiar, no? Also, this year will be a huge test for him. He's had offensive whiz kids Horgelson (sp?) and Kingsbury as his OCs throughout his successful tenures, so we'll see how well he can do without them. Gonna be interesting. Ding, ding, ding! Maybe not a conspiracy, but clearly their fascination is fueled by them beating their obsession last year.
Two things here, last year was suppose to be the best team Mike Sherman was to have with his time at a&m. Stars align players in the right place, etc. Second, you have to have a team from the West coast in the top 10, who is gonna stay up and watch a game between # 23 and 30.
The two new teams were supposed to get humbled in their first SEC season. Mizzou did but A&M fielded a Heisman trophy quarterback and beat Alabama. That will get you some attention. If Manziel plays and has another season like last year (I don't think it will happen), A&M will be a dangerous opponent. But the SEC has several outstanding pro-style defenses that are not going to allow Manziel to run this year. He will have to beat teams with his arm and will fall short. A&M has a huge drop-off without him. That will get you some attention.
I was playing off of the top 5 ranking of bama and a&m. Thats the reason you see the wast coast teams ranked so high from the start of the season.
