There's Always Next Year: But 2020 Could Be It For Texas A&M
COLLEGE STATION - There's hard to find any positive thoughts from Saturday's 50-7 loss against LSU in Aggieland. Two days have passed and players still are upset with how the season ended.
For Texas A&M (7-5, 4-4 SEC), the focus will turn to the future. There's little that could be said about the final two games other than disappointment and defeat. While the team still has a bowl game to play, the attention has already turned to the potential of the 2020 year.
Teams every year believe that it's "their year" when the season kicks off. Sometimes it is and the program will succeed. Other times, it's struggle victories and close defeats that cost the team moments despite promising potential.
For Texas A&M, 2019 wasn't their year. And the reality is, it never was going to be. Jimbo Fisher's second season in College Station was met with three No.1 opponents and five top 10 teams. The Aggies became the first team since 1975 to face the AP's preseason top three schools in a single-season.
They made history as the first team to face the nation's best program three times in a season, two of which came on the road, an area A&M struggled. Optimism is great, but 8-4 was probably real expectation.
And A&M fell a game short of the probable promise. It's hard to harbor on that so much.
But the saying of "our year" could actually be in favor of the Aggies next season. With a more manageable schedule and veteran roster, A&M should be able to take the next leap with what lies ahead.
The Aggies will face an out of conference Colorado as their "home versus home" matchup the next two seasons. The Buffaloes struggled in their first season under Mel Tucker with a 5-7 record. The team will also lose quarterback Steven Montez this upcoming offseason.
A&M will also face Abilene Christian, North Texas and Fresno State as part of their out of conference schedule. All three teams struggled in 2019 and play in lesser-known conferences compared to the SEC.
For conference play, the Aggies will face a struggling South Carolina roster and Vanderbilt as teams from the SEC East. Both finished at the bottom of conference standings and could lose talented offensive players to the draft and graduation. Ole Miss recently fired Matt Luke and could be in for a down year next year while Arkansas is just along for the ride.
LSU will lose 20 seniors, including Heisman front-runner Joe Burrow. The team is also expected to lose younger talent to the NFL Draft, such as safety Grant Delpit, cornerback Kristian Fulton and wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
The same argument could be made for teams as Alabama and Auburn. The Crimson Tide are expected to replace a majority of their wide receiving corp with the Tigers will need to upgrade their defensive line. That's also excluding senior talent such as Alabama's Raekwon Davis and Anfernee Jennings, who are set to graduate in December.
Barring the loss of those to the draft, A&M could be trotting out 11 seniors in 2020. The team could also be bringing back a total of 20 starters, replacing Colton Prater on offense and Charles Oliver on defense.
Health and youth should be at the front line next season. A&M lost lead running back Jashaun Corbin in Week 2 to a hamstring injury. The team also lost tight end prospect Baylor Cupp before he could take a snap. The duo will now pair with Isaiah Spiller and Jalen Wydermyer to create a unique duo in both the pass and run game.
We talk about exaction vs. reality. In 2020, they're the same for the Aggies. The expectation should be for A&M to finish 12-0. The reality is they could so long as the veteran talent returns.
Following Saturday's loss, plenty of former Aggies' tweeted the same message An old saying to describe success, "Rome wasn't built in a day" clouded the social media pages as the Aggies packed for home.
Fisher is Julius Caesar and the Aggies are Rome. It took time, but once built upon; they became an unstoppable force. The same could be said for A&M heading into next season.
The Aggies won't be built in a day, but 2020 could be the moment when construction's complete.
