2013 At&T Cotton Bowl Classic Preview

Date: January 4, 2013 8:00 PM ET
Stadium: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Payout: $3,625,000 per team
Played: 1937-present
Former Names: N/A
Broadcasters: Gus Johnson, Charles Davis
Sideline Reporter: Julie Alexandria, Petros Papadakis

Texas A&M: The Aggies went 6-2 in their first season as a member of the SEC. Texas A&M was the only team to hand Alabama a loss in 2012. Quarterback Johnny Manziel netted 4,600 yards of total offense and became the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy. The Aggies average 552.3 yards of offense per game. The Aggies have gone 0-6 in their last 6 Cotton Bowl appearances.

Oklahoma: The Sooners' only two losses came from Kansas State and Notre Dame, two teams who combined for a record of 23-1. Senior quarterback Landry Jones has now accumulated 16,368 passing yards and 125 touchdowns in his four years in Norman. Oklahoma has beaten Texas A&M in 8 of their last 9 meetings. The Sooners are making their 14th consecutive bowl appearance as they look to get a win over a Big 12 defector.

	Texas A&M			Oklahoma
Overall Record	10-2		Overall Record	10-2
Conference Record	6-2		Conference Record	8-1
Bowl Record	14-19		Bowl Record	27-17-1
Last Bowl Win	2011 Meineke Car Care		Last Bowl Win	2011 Insight

All Time Series: 19-10 Oklahoma
Line: Texas A&M by 3

2012 Schedules

Here are some interesting observations about schedules in the 2012 season:

• 22 teams have ONLY FBS opponents on their schedules
• No SEC or ACC schools are among the twenty-two teams to play this type of schedule
• Five are from Conference USA
• Four are from the Big Ten
• 97 teams have ONE game against an FCS opponents on their schedules
• 4 teams have TWO games against FCS opponents on their schedules
• Florida State
• Cincinnati
• Pittsburgh
• Texas A&M
• 1 team plays TWO FCS opponents and TWO Division 2 opponents
• UT-San Antonio, which was rushed up to the FBS level to save the WAC
• 3 teams play a 13-game regular season
• New Mexico
• UNLV
• South Alabama
• The NCAA allows teams that play Hawaii on the road to play a 13-game schedule if they chose. The extra game helps generate revenue for the school to offset the expensive travel costs of flying a team to Hawaii. Hawaii is also allowed to play a 13-game schedule every year if it chooses. Hawaii will only play 12 games in 2012.
• Only one win over a FCS program counts towards bowl eligibility. Beating two FCS programs in a season gives a FBS school no advantage in getting to bowl eligibility. In fact in might make bowl eligibility tougher since they can only lose to 5 FBS teams, opposed to 6 FBS teams if they had played one or no FCS cupcakes.

2011 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas Preview

Date: December 31, 2011 12:00 PM ET

Stadium: Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Payout: $1,700,000

Played: 2006-present

Former Names: Texas Bowl (2006-2010)

Broadcasters: Bob Wischusen, Brian Griese

Sideline Reporter: Eamon McAnaney

All Time Series: 0-0

Line: Texas A&M by 10

	Texas A&M			Northwestern
Overall Record	6-6		Overall Record	6-6
Conference Record	4-5		Conference Record	3-5
Bowl Record	13-19		Bowl Record	1-8
Last Bowl Win	2001 Galleryfurniture.com		Last Bowl Win	1949 Rose

Helmet Stickers: Week 7

ACC—The Virginia Cavaliers upset No. 12 Georgia Tech 24-21 on Saturday. It was Georgia Tech’s first loss of the season. The Cavalier defense held the Yellow Jackets’ explosive triple-option offense to 296 yards. Cornerbacks Chase Minnifield and Demetrious Nicholson each intercepted the Yellow Jackets’ Tevin Washington in the game. Virginia fans stormed the field after the huge win. Mike London’s team gained a lot of confidence halting Georgian Tech’s best start since 1966.

Big 10—No. 23 Michigan State dominated in-state rival No. 11 Michigan for the fourth straight year. The Spartans’ defense held Heisman-wannabe Denard Robinson to just 42 yards rushing and put up seven sacks. Spartans safety Isaiah Lewis ran back an interception for 39 yards to secure the 28-14 victory. Kirk Cousins passed for 120 yards and had two touchdown passes to Keshawn Martin. Edwin Baker rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown. The ESPN-overhyped Wolverines were no match for a physical Spartan defense. In Michigan, the Wolverines are the Spartans’ “Little Sister”.

Big 12—No. 21 Texas A&M shellacked No. 20 Baylor 55-28. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill passed for 415 yards and a career-high six touchdowns. Wideout Ryan Swope caught four touchdowns—two of which were 68 yards—and had 206 yards receiving. The Aggies put up a season-high 681 yards of offense.  Texas A&M’s defense sacked Robert Griffin III five times, and Aggies cornerback Dustin Harris intercepted Griffin, only the second pick the Baylor signal caller has thrown this season. Texas A&M wins the Battle of the Brazos for the third straight season and the 19^th time in the last 21 meetings. The rivalry will likely not be played again anytime soon, as the Aggies head to the SEC.

Big East—Connecticut moved to 1-1 in the Big East standings as it defeated South Florida 16-10 in East Hartford. The Huskies did not score a touchdown in the victory. Kicker Dave Teggart kicked three field goals, and cornerback Byron Jones ran a Bulls fumble 10 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. The turnover proved to be the game winning score. UConn forced two interceptions and two fumble and only gave up two fumbles of its own. Connecticut is 7-1 in Big East home openers and 4-1 against South Florida at home.

C-USA—Southern Methodist defeated Central Florida 38-17 on Saturday, reversing the outcome of the 2010 Conference USA Championship Game. Mustangs quarterback J.J. McDermott passed for 358 yards and two scores. Mustangs wide receiver Cole Beasley had ten catches for 134 yards and a score. Running back Zach Line rushed for 82 yards and two scores. In the second quarter, SMU cornerback Richard Crawford ran back a punt 92 yards for a touchdown. The Mustangs cruise to 3-0 in league play and 5-1 overall.

MAC—Eastern Michigan defeated rival Central Michigan on the road 35-28. The Eagles blew a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, allowing the Chippewas to tie the game at 28 apiece with 1:09 left, but Eagles quarterback Alex Gillett scored on a 30-yard scamper with 37 seconds left in the game to get the 35-28 win. All five of Eastern’s touchdowns came on runs. Running backs Dominque White and Javonti Greene each carried the ball nineteen times. White had 161 yards and a touchdown, while Green had 96 yards and three touchdowns. Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan meet next Saturday; the winner of that game will win the Michigan MAC Trophy.

MWC—Boise State routed Colorado State 63-13 in its first Mountain West conference game. Kellen Moore was 26 for 30, accumulating 338 yards and four passing touchdowns. Running back Doug Martin averaged 10 yards per carry and had 200 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Tyler Shoemaker had nine grabs for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Colorado State’s defense allowed 742 yards of offense by the Broncos, a Boise State school record. Broncos backups saw significant time in the second half of the blowout.

Pac-12—USC won its eighth straight game against its in-state rival California on Saturday night at AT&T Park. The Trojans defense forced five turnovers. Linebacker Dion Bailey had two of the three interceptions. The USC defense held Cal to just 1.3 yards per rush for a total of 35 rushing yards. The Trojans had a 23-0 lead until late in the third quarter. Kyle Negrete averaged 42 yards on his five punts. Freshman kicker Andre Heidari was perfect, going 3 for 3 on both field goals and extra points. Despite criticisms, USC moves to 5-1 and 3-1 in Pac-12 play.

SEC—Alabama made a statement by beating OIe Miss 52-7. The Crimson Tide outgained the Rebels 615 to 141. Mississippi scored a touchdown on their opening drive, but after that, the game belonged to Alabama. The Crimson Tide scored 52 unanswered points and did not turn the ball over a single time in a very lopsided game. The 52 points amounted to Ole Miss’s worst loss since a 1981 49-3 loss to Florida and Bama’s largest accumulation of points in a SEC game since 1990. Trent Richardson averaged 10.8 yards per carry and also had four touchdown runs.

Sun Belt—Louisiana-Monroe got its second straight victory over Troy in a 38-10 win on the road. The Warhawks were down 10-3 in the third quarter before scoring 28 unanswered points. The Warhawks’ defense played lights out, holding a potent Troy offense to just 126 yards (140 passing yards, -14 rushing yards). Linebacker Cameron Blakes and safety Isaiah Newsome each intercepted Troy’s Corey Robinson. UL-Monroe’s offense put up 523 yards. Warhawks quarterback Kolton Browning had 275 passing yards and three touchdown throws. Warhawks wideout Tavarese Maye had 161 receiving yards, which included a 38-yard touchdown catch.

WAC—San Jose State bested Hawaii 28-27 in a sloppy Friday night game at Spartan Stadium that saw twelve turnovers. Both the Warriors and the Spartans had three interceptions and three fumbles. Matt Faulkner connected with sophomore wide receiver Chandler Jones on a 37-yard touchdown strike with just 36 seconds left in the game to get the go-ahead score. Fans stormed the field as the Spartans beat Hawaii at home for the first time since 1997. San Jose State has won three of their last four games after going 1-12 last season. Mike McIntyre is turning things around in San Jose.

Texas Tech Fans Vandalize Texas A&M's Buses

Texas Tech fans vandalized four Texas A&M football buses early Saturday morning outside of the Holiday Inn the Aggies football team was staying at. Manure was smeared on the outside of the buses and inside one bus that was not locked. The buses were also graffitied with Texas Tech logos and vulgarities aimed at the Aggies.

Friends who attended Texas Tech have described the Red Raiders-Aggies games as a bitter rivalry game. The Big 12 schools have animosity towards the Aggies for going to the SEC, but the classless actions of a few Texas Tech fans stems more from the rivalry between the Texas ag schools.

The Aggies got the last laugh as they defeated the Red Raiders 45-40 in Lubbock.

Texas A&M Officially Joins The SEC

Texas A&M officially joined the Southeastern Conference yesterday. The Aggies will begin playing in the SEC in the fall of 2012. It is unclear whether Baylor or other Big 12 schools will file litigation against Texas A&M as reported over the past few weeks. Starting next season, the Aggie will be in a different conference from their rivals Texas and Baylor for the first time in the football programs long, storied history. It is likely the Thanksgiving night rivalry game between the Aggies and the Longhorns will become a thing of the past.

Now the SEC will be unbalanced at 13 teams. I would assume they will be out to poach a 14th team to balance the divisions. Missouri  would seem to be the best match for the SEC, but it seems like the nine remaining members of the Big 12 are adamant on staying together. A six-year television rights agreement has been set with the remaining nine schools. If one of the Big 12 schools leave the conference within the next six years, all of their primetime television revenue would still go to the Big 12. It looks like the Big 12 will add anywhere from one to three teams to make itself more relevant nationally again.

Texas A&M Is Adamant On Leaving The Big 12

Texas announced today it is adamant on leaving the Big 12 and hopes to do so by July 2012. It will agree to pay the penalties associated with leaving the conference. The Aggies are still hoping to get in with the SEC, but it sounds like they may be open to joining any conference. The other viable options would probably be the Big 10 or the Pac-12.

If the Big 12 looks to survive as a conference, it will have to find a replacement. Current independant BYU would be a good fit. The Cougars would be able to compete in the conference and would now have better access to playing in a BCS bowl game. Southern Methodist has publicly expressed interest in joining the Big 12, but the addtion of the Mustangs would not add a new television market like the addition of BYU would in Salt Lake City, Provo, and Ogden. It is also debatable whether the 'Stangs could compete with the large state schools. Houston and Texas Christian would be able to hold their own with the current Big 12 members, but again no new television markets would be added, so taking another Texas team is not as sexy as taking a team from outside areas with Big 12 schools.

The moral of the story here is do not allow one school in a conference favoritism over the others. Profit sharing in the Big 12 is not equal like it is in the Big 10 or SEC. The Longhorn Network destroyed the Big 12 conference. If the playing field is not equal for all schools, why stick around?

The SEC Saved College Football, For Now

The Southeastern Conference came to the decision to not offer membership to Texas A&M. The conference is happy with the 12 teams it currently has, but will not rule out expansion in the future. By the SEC showing restraint and avoiding the temptation to become a superconference, college football is spared, at least for now, a big shake-up like we saw last summer and fall.

It looks like Texas A&M is going to be stuck in the Big 12 for the forseeable future. The university kind of looks bad now, making a big deal to leave the Big 12 for the SEC, and the SEC won't even offer them a spot. They will have to sit around and be relegated to Texas's bitch for the short term. Texas and its Longhorn Network look to be in command of the marketing and finances for the entire Big 12, at least for now.

All Hell Could Break Loose This Week

If Texas A&M heads to the Southeastern Conference next week, the conference shuffle will start all over again.

Likely, the SEC would want to get a fourteenth team for the sake of balance. It will likely go after Florida State or Clemson from the ACC, or Missouri from the Big 12. Right now, Mizzou says it is committed to staying in the Big 12. Other sexy additions could be Louisville, Georgia Tech, or Virginia Tech. Any of these teams would geographically be a good fit for the SEC.

To replace the Aggies, the Big 12 would likely go after Houston, Texas Christian, Southern Methodist, or BYU. As long as Texas and Oklahoma stick together, the conference could probably survive in some form.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 could expand as well, but that won't likely happen unless it becomes apparent alot of dominoes start falling and these conferences need to go on the defense to stay competitive with a superconference consisting of either fourteen or sixteen teams.

The Big East and ACC sit in a precarious position. Both could get poached from. They are both seen as more of basketball conferences rather than football conferences. Keep in mind that college football generates more money than college basketball. The Big East needs to get on with expanding to ten teams if it wants to ensure its survival. Moving Villanova's football program up from the FCS to the FBS would require a much larger stadium than Villanova Stadium, and it looks like the Wildcats either don't have the space and/or money to expand their miniscule 12,500-seat stadium. Using Lincoln Financial Field, where the Philadelphia Eagles play, for home games is not an option; Temple uses this stadium as its home field.

Texas A&M Is Moving To The SEC

It looks almost official that Texas A&M will be moving to the SEC. We will know for sure Monday. A ten-team Big 12 looked pretty stable until Texas decided to launch the Longhorn Sports Network this fall. A year ago, Texas saved the Big 12 by deciding to stay in the Big 12. Now, it has destroyed the Big 12 with its elevated status in the conference, as seen by its need to have its own television network rather than to be a part of the rest of the conference's television dealings. Can you blame the Aggies for not wanting to stick around and let its rival run the conference? The Aggies have a strong athletic program and can easily go where they want. The same can not be said for a number of other schools left in the Big 12. These other programs have no choice but to stick by the University of Texas. The Longhorn-Aggies rivalry has become even more bitter at the moment, but if the two powers are in separate conferences, the rivalry may cease to exist as a football game every Thanksgiving.

Big questions will need to be answered in the coming days:
-Will the SEC look for a fourteenth team if the Aggies do join the SEC?
-What will become of the nine-team Big 12 if the Aggies do leave the conference?
-Will other dominoes fall as other conferences fight to remain relevant and competitive?

Most Returning Starters

Teams with the most returning starters for the 2011 season.

Vanderbilt 18
The Commodores will have all but one offensive starter returning and eight starters coming back on defense. Things are looking good for James Franklin's first year as head coach.

Texas A&M 18
With key players back like Ryan Tannehill and Cyrus Gray on offense and the entire seconday coming back, will this be the Aggies year to win the Big 12 title for the first time since 1998?

Southern Methodist 18
The Mustangs have won the C-USA West the last two seasons, but with almost the entire offense coming back, 2011 could be the year SMU wins its first league championship since the Death Penalty.

Florida State 17
Combine the fact that Florida State is returning 17 starters and has recruited Top Ten classes in 2011 (#2) and 2010 (#9), and it is apparent the Seminoles are going to be good, real good. The Noles are the clear frontrunner in the ACC.

Toledo 17
With 50 lettermen and 17 starters back, the Rockets are poised to win the MAC title. Preseason rags state Toledo will have the best receiving corp and secondary in the league.

2011 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic Preview

January 7, 2011 8:00 PM ET

Stadium: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Payout: $3,575,000

Played: 1937-present

Once known as: N/A

Broadcasters: Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston

Sideline Reporter: John Lynch

Storyline: Friday night will feature the Tigers and the Aggies in the 75^th installment of the Cotton Bowl Classic, which will not be played inside of the Cotton Bowl for the first time since its inception. The game will be played at Cowboys Stadium. Louisiana State missed out on a BCS bowl after losing to Arkansas on November 26^th. Texas A&M tied for first in the Big 12 South, but did not go to the Big 12 title game due to BCS rankings. These two teams have squared off 49 times since 1899. Texas A&M has won the last five meetings, but LSU leads the all-time series. The last time the Tigers and Aggies met was in 1995. LSU is more of a running team, as its passing attack is 107^th in the nation, averaging 169 yards per game. LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson has thrown 4 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. The Tigers defense is 8^th in the nation in terms of yards allowed. Cornerback Patrick Peterson won the Jim Thorpe Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is given to the top defensive player in the FBS. Texas A&M averages 303 passing yards per game, boasting the 13^th best passing attack. The Aggies are also adept on the ground with Cyrus Gray in the back field. He has rushed for over 100 yards per game in each of his six starts. Aggie linebacker Vonn Miller won the Butkus Award and led the Big 12 in sacks for the second-straight season. The Tigers are making their 11^th straight bowl appearance. The Tigers have won 8 of those 11 games. Texas A&M has lost 8 of its last 9 bowl games. LSU looks to carry the SEC banner, while Texas A&M looks for another big win to signify the Aggies are once again a powerhouse program.

All-time Series: 26-20-3 LSU

Line: LSU by 2

	LSU			Texas A&M
Overall Record	10-2		Overall Record	9-3
Conference Record	6-2		Conference Record	6-2
Bowl Record	21-19-1		Bowl Record	13-18
Last Bowl Win	2008 Chick-fil-A		Last Bowl Win	2001Galleryfurniture.com

Big 12 Home Attendance Figures

	Baylor			Colorado
Floyd Casey Stadium			Folsom Field
S4 Sam Houston State	42,821		S18 Hawaii	47,840
S11 Buffalo	40,853		O2 Georgia	52,855
O2 Kansas	35,405		O16 Baylor	48,953
O23 Kansas State	40,057		O23 Texas Tech	47,665
N13 Texas A&M	45,089		N13 Iowa State	42,722
N20 Oklahoma	36,034		N20 Kansas State	41,147
AVERAGE	40,043		AVERAGE	46,864
	Iowa State			Kansas
Jack Trice Stadium			Memorial Stadium
S2 Northern Illinois	43,116		S4 North Dakota State	48,417
S25 Northern Iowa	48,874		S11 Georgia Tech	46,907
O2 Texas Tech	43,162		S25 New Mexico State	46,719
O9 Utah	43,195		O14 Kansas State	47,561
O30 Kansas	46,485		O23 Texas A&M	44,239
N6 Nebraska	51,159		N6 Colorado	40,851
N20 Missouri	41,776		N20 Oklahoma State	39,261
AVERAGE	45,395		AVERAGE	44,851
	Kansas State			Missouri
Bill Snyder Stadium			Faurot Field
S4 UCLA	51,059		S11 McNeese State	55,582
S11 Missouri State	48,672		S18 San Diego State	56,050
S25 UCF	50,586		S25 Miami (OH)	60,329
O7 Nebraska	51,015		O9 Colorado	62,965
O30 Oklahoma State	50,831		O23 Oklahoma	71,004
N6 Texas	46,734		N13 Kansas State	63,310
AVERAGE	49,816		AVERAGE	61,540
	Nebraska			Oklahoma
Memorial Stadium			Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
S4 Western Kentucky	85,555		S4 Utah State	85,151
S11 Idaho	85,732		S11 Florida State	85,630
S25 South Dakota State	85,573		S18 Air Force	84,332
O16 Texas	85,648		O16 Iowa State	84,024
O30 Missouri	85,907		O30 Colorado	84,173
N13 Kansas	85,587		N13 Texas Tech	85,116
N26 Colorado	85,646
AVERAGE	85,664		AVERAGE	84,738
	Oklahoma State			Texas
Boone Pickens Stadium			Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
S4 Washington State	48,692		S11 Wyoming	101,339
S11 Troy	48,820		S25 UCLA	101,437
S18 Tulsa	51,778		O23 Iowa State	100,142
S30 Texas A&M	48,284		O30 Baylor	100,452
O23 Nebraska	55,935		N13 Oklahoma State	100,659
N6 Baylor	50,741		N20 Florida Atlantic	99,799
N27 Oklahoma	51,164		N25 Texas A&M	100,752
AVERAGE	50,773		AVERAGE	100,654
	Texas A&M			Texas Tech
Kyle Field			Jones AT&T Stadium
S4 Stephen F. Austin	81,287		S5 SMU	57,528
S11 Louisiana Tech	77,579		S18 Texas	60,454
S18 FIU	79,069		O16 Oklahoma State	60,454
O16 Missouri	83,453		N6 Missouri	55,667
O30 Texas Tech	84,479		N20 Weber State	55,083
N6 Oklahoma	81,392		N27 Houston	53,461
N20 Nebraska	90,079
AVERAGE	82,477		AVERAGE	57,108

AVERAGE ATTENDANCE BY SCHOOL

Texas	100,654
Nebraska	85,664
Oklahoma	84,738
Texas A&M	82,477
Missouri	61,540
Texas Tech	57,108
Oklahoma State	50,773
Kansas State	49,816
Colorado	46,864
Iowa State	45,395
Kansas	44,851
Baylor	40,043