Some of y'all saying this year Texas game clearly doesn't recall 2011.
The phantom call on Travis Hunter to set up the game winner is just brutal. Sips always get the advantages, but y'all memory is too short.

I was there for the 05 ISU game as well, can honestly say we left early because the team never showed up.

The games v Tech in the early 00s were just inevitable.

And yet hope remains.
All it takes is for 12 games to come together. That little bit of black magic that always seems to find its way to Austin or Baton Rouge or Tuscaloosa to finally come to College Station once and it will all be worth it.

Maroon Dawn said:

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I think we're tired of the Jerry Jones style leadership that accepts mediocrity and doesn't try to improve beyond 8-4 because they know the fans are stupidly loyal and will keep handing you over their money every season without fail and never demanding better

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Couldn't have said it better. Our AD only cares about selling merch, making $, and selling tickets as long as it's working

I am not apathetic on Aggie football, but I am losing interest in college sports. Unrestricted free agency is ruining it for me. There is no point to following or cheering for individual players and recruiting or anymore since the roster is a revolving door. But, I think the athletes need to be fairly compensated for the value the bring.

I will still watch. I will still excited when we win and heartbroken when we lose. But it isnt as fun as it used to be. And I am worried that a great success, like winning the NC, wont be as exuberating as it would have been before this mess. The purity has been taken away, but I still bleed maroon and love the Ags.

ATL Aggie said:

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I am not apathetic on Aggie football, but I am losing interest in college sports. Unrestricted free agency is ruining it for me. There is no point to following or cheering for individual players and recruiting or anymore since the roster is a revolving door. But, I think the athletes need to be fairly compensated for the value the bring.

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I agree that the sport looks vastly different than what it was even 5 years ago let alone 20...
But, I think the common interest won't ever die completely. There is too much school pride and money tossed around.

That said, The Wild West era of NIL has got to end. There needs to be terms to the contracts for the NIL deal. You can have $500,000 for 3 years. It can be prorated if you leave early or it can be front-loaded, back loaded, etc. but it can't just be "take the money and run" to the next school.

NCAA just let the cat out of the bag with zero enforcement on anything. They're a joke.
We have to protect the schools at least some.

Guy12 said:

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Let's be real, plenty of people say they're apathetic but will be right back on the bandwagon at the slightest hint of success.

Look at just the last year alone. After the Notre Dame game it was all rage and apathy and Aggie football is destined to be mediocre. After the LSU game everyone was through the roof with expectations.

The one thing I know to expect for this season is for the zoo to overreact to every little win and loss.

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here's the deal...

will their checkbooks be back on the bandwagon?

many folks have learned to follow the team without spending money on the team

the athletic department does not like this -- they need the fans to spend

I'm not sure "apathetic" is the right word. As others have said, if we were truly in the mix for a championship, I'd be all in.

I would go with "downtrodden." We are beat down. And not just by football.

Some of you are pathetic.

EclipseAg said:

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I'm not sure "apathetic" is the right word. As others have said, if we were truly in the mix for a championship, I'd be all in.

I would go with "downtrodden." We are beat down. And not just by football.

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Luke The Drifter said:

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2005 - Iowa State

We lost 42-14 at home to the Cyclones, but don't let that score fool you. The game wasn't nearly that close. Ags were 5-2 coming into the game and at the make-or-break point of the season. We got manhandled at Kyle Field and did not win another game the rest of the year. And it's not like ISU was all that great that season. They finished 7-5 (only 11 regular season games back then) with only 2 wins over teams that finished the year with a winning record. Iowa State did not play the 3 best teams in the Big 12 South that year...OU, Texas, and Tech...and their non-conference opponents were Illinois State, Iowa, and Army.

I have followed and occasionally enjoyed A&M football in the years since, but that day absolutely broke my spirit. I had been going to Aggie games at that point for 30 years (my first game was in 1975 when I was 6 years old) but I threw in the towel that day. I even survived the 77-0 game in 2003, the Torbush WOW! vs. Utah, the loss to Baylor, and the Cotton Bowl no-show vs. Tennessee games in 2004. But the way our team and coaches absolutely quit vs. ISU in 2005 was where I drew the line in the sand.

Ever since that day, Aggie football has been a recreational activity for me, at best. I still enjoy other A&M sports, but football is just a "meh" time of the year for me these days.

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Exact same day for me. Worst coaching I've ever seen in my life. Playcalling that day and the use of players in offense was the end for me. Glad I'm not the only one.

Auburn and USC last year but it was more the face plant after entering November in first place. I will watch the games this fall and hope for the best, but I am in show me mode.

The defense wasn't all that great that day, either.

Getting boat raced by SC was when I figured the season was lost and the annual collapse had begun. Auburn was icing on the cake.

App State.....

Texas A&M should NEVER lose to App State.

DGrimesAg92 said:

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App State.....

Texas A&M should NEVER lose to App State.

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Neither should Michigan. If we end up winning a natty in the next 20 years like they did then you're not allowed to be happy.

Max Power said:

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I gave up years ago. We haven't won a conference title in football since my freshman year, bonfire fell my sophomore year. I'm 45 years old now. The best this program can hope for is the occasional upset, but even those games end up not mattering in the grand scheme of things. Now with the horns in the SEC we don't even have the advantage of being the only school in Texas in the conference. The entire conference sold us out. I've found it's way better to not even watch, it's been better for my mental health as well. Once you can enjoy coming to this board after a loss you know all hope is gone. It's better to put my faith in the Texans, Astros, and Rockets SPURS than any team in College Station.

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fify......

Luke The Drifter said:

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2005 - Iowa State

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100% correct

MaroonRevival said:

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Luke The Drifter said:

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2005 - Iowa State

We lost 42-14 at home to the Cyclones, but don't let that score fool you. The game wasn't nearly that close. Ags were 5-2 coming into the game and at the make-or-break point of the season. We got manhandled at Kyle Field and did not win another game the rest of the year. And it's not like ISU was all that great that season. They finished 7-5 (only 11 regular season games back then) with only 2 wins over teams that finished the year with a winning record. Iowa State did not play the 3 best teams in the Big 12 South that year...OU, Texas, and Tech...and their non-conference opponents were Illinois State, Iowa, and Army.

I have followed and occasionally enjoyed A&M football in the years since, but that day absolutely broke my spirit. I had been going to Aggie games at that point for 30 years (my first game was in 1975 when I was 6 years old) but I threw in the towel that day. I even survived the 77-0 game in 2003, the Torbush WOW! vs. Utah, the loss to Baylor, and the Cotton Bowl no-show vs. Tennessee games in 2004. But the way our team and coaches absolutely quit vs. ISU in 2005 was where I drew the line in the sand.

Ever since that day, Aggie football has been a recreational activity for me, at best. I still enjoy other A&M sports, but football is just a "meh" time of the year for me these days.

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Damn - that's quite a mental scar you've got there and I don't even remember that game. I need to pay more attention.

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Todd Blythe abused our secondary that day...200+ yards receiving with 4 TD receptions. I don't think he caught a single pass in the NFL.

He wasn't even in the same galaxy talent-wise compared to Larry Fitzgerald, a pretty much lock NFL HoFer who toyed with us in 2003, but those numbers Blythe put up speak for themselves.

We'd already taken one ass-kicking that season (@ Colorado) and had needed OT to beat Baylor at home, so the cracks were there, but this Iowa State thrashing wasn't on anyone's radar.

I remember too much about that '05 season...Franchione forgetting basic arithmetic against Clemson and not going for 2 in the 4th quarter when it was screamingly obvious (literally, in my case) that was the call, kicking a FG against Oklahoma to make a 2-score game a 2-score game (he liked kicking FGs against OU...we'd see this again in '06).

All that to say...yeah, I'm much less emotionally invested and the game against Iowa State was a marker along that road to relative indifference.

Sometimes it isn't the product on the field or the numbers on the scoreboard, but what is going on in life. If the Big Saturdays were more fun, more often, I'd probably protect Aggie FB game times more religiously, but I'm not going to miss out on my kids life events to watch a bunch of guys that will never know who I am, and likely won't be around the following season.

I'm going to record the games, watch while it is good, and especially not stress about the 25% of the season that is played against cupcakes.

Also.... Jimbo Fisher.

We seem to play down to our competition...We seem confused in the opening 2 quarters. We lose games at the end of the season that we should win. Elko says he was confused at the Notre Dame game. So many $$$ spent...so much hype...so many new facilities...But no results....

Thaddeus73 said:

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We seem to play down to our competition...We seem confused in the opening 2 quarters. We lose games at the end of the season that we should win. Elko says he was confused at the Notre Dame game. So many $$$ spent...so much hype...so many new facilities...But no results....

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Elko said this? I was actually completely unaware of him saying this. Did he say it in postgame presser?

W said:

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Guy12 said:

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Let's be real, plenty of people say they're apathetic but will be right back on the bandwagon at the slightest hint of success.

Look at just the last year alone. After the Notre Dame game it was all rage and apathy and Aggie football is destined to be mediocre. After the LSU game everyone was through the roof with expectations.

The one thing I know to expect for this season is for the zoo to overreact to every little win and loss.

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here's the deal...

will their checkbooks be back on the bandwagon?

many folks have learned to follow the team without spending money on the team

the athletic department does not like this -- they need the fans to spend

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3 or 4 years ago it dawned on me the outcome of games don't affect my real life. I want us to win them all but when they're over that's it. Life goes on. My wallet is considerably less open these days. The fact that the players, for the most part, aren't one of us anymore makes it that much easier to detach.

Quote:

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Elko said this? I was actually completely unaware of him saying this. Did he say it in postgame presser?

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Actually, he said he called a bad game...Here is the exact quote...

Q. And what we saw from him today, how much of that was a function of him being healthy? Also, how much of it was he's more comfortable in this scheme and this offense now?

COACH ELKO: Listen, we owned what happened against Notre Dame. We played bad. We played bad on offense. Everybody stood on this podium and said it. We called a bad game. I coached a bad game. Receivers played a bad game. Quarterback played a bad game. We played bad. And everybody in our program owned it. So I don't know that it's anything other than we had a bad night, and we went back to work to get better. And we're seeing progress moving forward since then.

https://12thman.com/news/2024/10/5/football-no-25-aggies-dominate-no-9-missouri-at-kyle-field

For me it's the way games are called by refs. Not just the Aggies but everywhere. Blatant calls missed in crucial 3rd downs. (Or not called). Overturned calls etc. Very obvious to me that it's rigged. Who cares anymore.

Frustrations mounted from Iowa State 2005 - tu 2011.
Johnny gave me hope.
Then Alabama 2014 happened. That is when I quit being mad at losses.

Still stay interested and watch/go to the games, but its hard to get too worked up with all the NIL shenanigans and constant revolving door of a roster.

Detmersdislocatedshoulder said:

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if it were only one game BAS would not be a thing. it's decades worth of one games here and there that add up. i still watch all the games and will never quit.

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This

As many have said, NIL and at will transfers have taken a lot of the enjoyment from me. 20 years ago I'd have been stoked to have the #2 recruiting class (like we do now) but now I just mentally shrug and wonder how many will actually play for the team and how many will play great for the team. Jimbo's #1 class and the lack of results and drama it brought probably turned away as many folks as any single game over the years.

Let me tell you something college football? Not what it used to be, folks. I used to love it watched every Saturday, the whole thing. But now? I barely even care. It's been 25 years can you believe it? since we even won a conference. Total embarrassment. Never made the playoffs not once! And we've had more coaches than Joe Biden has had bad speeches. Different staff, different players, but the results? Almost aways the same somewhere between 7-5 and 9-3, with 9-3 celebrated as a great year.

You've got players skipping bowl games like they're doing us a favor, jumping into the transfer portal every five minutes no loyalty, just chasing that NIL cash. Most wouldn't even be admitted to the university if not for football. But what do you expect, the coaches are chasing the cash, school is chasing the cash, and the networks are chasing the cash. There's so much money to be made by everyone in the system, but none of it is siphoned off for the purpose of the university -- education.

And don't even get me started on the referees absolute joke. Always favoring the so-called "blue blood" programs. They want Texas, Alabama, Ohio State, the usual suspects it's rigged, folks, everybody knows it. The system is broken, it's a disaster; It's sad.

Guy12 said:

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Let's be real, plenty of people say they're apathetic but will be right back on the bandwagon at the slightest hint of success.

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Meh... I completely disagree with this take. It comes down to what you consider "apathetic" versus what how closely many of us followed the sport.

I'm class of '09 and never followed Aggie football very closely until I graduated. After graduation, I would listen to TexAgs radio pretty much daily, I followed every little bit of recruiting news, I participated in the premium off season threads talking about new players, improving players, and projecting the next year. I would devour any little bit of off season update or media. I would then come into the season at an extreme level of excitedness.

Now? I couldn't tell you anything about any of our current commits. I haven't cared about keeping track of the top recruits we are after, or listening to recaps of various camps around the state. I haven't cared about keeping track of the transfer portal guys (either coming in or leaving). I haven't cared about spring practice updates or about how any particular player seems to have improved. I've basically become completely apathetic in the off season, and this is really the first year since graduating I've felt like this.

Will I be "back on the bandwagon" come season start? Depends what you mean by this. I will watch the games, and I'm sure i'll be excited for the first one, but I'm not even 50% as excited and into this upcoming season as I have been before. I don't see myself caring about any of the recruiting and player nonsense i used to pay attention to.

Granted, if the team ends up being one of 3 Aggie teams over the last 20 years to lose 2 or less games, then I'm sure i'll definitely be "on the bandwagon". Until then, I'm tired of being let down by this athletic program and I'm definitely over paying as much attention to player acquisition and retention. I don't care one iota for the mercenaries we hire to wear our school logo and play a sport. I will just be surprised by all the starters at the beginning of a season and cheer for the team.

Long-time A&M football/sports fan here for nearly 40 years, and while I've seen my share of heartbreaking losses at Kyle including Iowa State in '05, my fandom hasn't wavered until the last few years. Part of it is priorities changing with age, and part of it is realizing that something isn't working at the top to allow this program to flourish. Couple that with a bunch of hype and style and less substance I see coming from players, and I simply don't care as much. How many players truly love being a Fightin' Texas Aggie anymore?

A&M football should be able to deliver at least a couple top ten finishes each decade which is a perfectly reasonable expectation for a Top 20 all-time CFB program with the kind of resources and support and talent at its disposal.

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Really all I want is to see a team playing better by the end of the season vs worse. No matter the record. Just want to say, "that team got better each game".

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2012. maybe 2020.