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God bless the Ag family of four that will be wearing that very shirt above in 2022 at a non-conference game against UTEP.
KNOW WHAT'S #CLASSY AS F? RSVPing for social affairs. cuppycup is working his ass off on what is sure to be one killer real life TAILGATE. Think Lord of the Flies but with more flame and Fireball. Help him out by RSVPing right here so the right amount of munitions, meat, and hooch are supplied.
GET DOWN, DEGENERATES. Odds are out if you want some of that sweet, sweet action on who is going to win the National Championship. Some things have shifted, but not for A&M. Scope it:
| Odds on Oct 5th | Odds on Oct 12th | |
| Ohio State | 9/4 | 11/4 |
| Baylor | 17/2 | 7/1 |
| LSU | 17/2 | 8/1 |
| Michigan | 22/1 | 19/2 |
| Alabama | 10/1 | 12/1 |
| TCU | 7/1 | 12/1 |
| Texas A&M | 12/1 | 12/1 |
| Utah | 22/1 | 15/1 |
| Clemson | 25/1 | 16/1 |
| Michigan State | 10/1 | 20/1 |
| Ole Miss | 22/1 | 25/1 |
| Florida State | 25/1 | 25/1 |
| Notre Dame | 30/1 | 25/1 |
HBC AND PRESSERS. A word, if I may. First, if you have not, be sure to go read Spencer Hall's extraordinary piece on Steve Spurrier.
Ol' Ball Coach is just great, ain't he? He was perfect for college football. He behaved a lot like smooth talkin' Eric "Otter" Stratton from the Deltas in Animal House. He maintained that shit-eating smirk for decades that announced he knew something you didn't and if you cared that much, just chill - this is college football, and football is fun.
Spurrier saw through the banal formality of credentialed media pressers. He saw how ridiculously staged they are hardwired to be. The SID wants you to hit certain beats that paint the program in a glowing light. The journos are lazy and conditioned to churn out safe stories under a deadline that help them keep their access and their jobs. They don't ask actual questions so much as shove a cliche into a tired coach's mouth so everyone can carry on with their day without much joy or mental heavy lifting.
Spurrier delighted in pushing over this vending machine full of stale shit. He'd rock it back and forth slowly and then deliver a one liner that knocked the damn thing over. He said what he felt, or better yet, just said what he knew would stick in the craw of the tightasses who take this game and themselves way too seriously.
I mention all this because A&M held their weekly football presser yesterday. This is BAMA week. And yet, everything was so safe and dull yesterday. "Talk about the Alabama's Front Seven" is not a question. It was spoken at two different coaches.
Sumlin is much more like Spurrier than he is a Peyton Manning regurgitated cliche. Sumlin has things to say and opinions to dish. He's a thoughtful, funny, super sharp cat, but we don't get to see that in this traditional, stodgy format.
Granted, Sumlin likely still doesn't think he has the job security that Spurrier had to just give zero fucks. I just wish the environment was setup for him to be himself.
I wish the A&M athletic department and media relations folks would loosen their death grip. God forbid something fun or interesting happens in a press conference. I wish the credentialed media would try cobbling together even one or two original questions for these things.
I wish we'd all tip our visors to Steve Spurrier and remember that football is fun.
Have a nice Wednesday.