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The Battalion

The Student News Site of Texas A&M University - College Station

The Battalion

The Student News Site of Texas A&M University - College Station

The Battalion

Junior G Wade Taylor IV (4) covers his face after a missed point during Texas A&Ms game against Arkansas on Feb. 20, 2024 at Reed Arena. (Jaime Rowe/The Battalion)
When it rains, it pours
February 24, 2024
Ali Camarillo (2) waiting to see if he got the out during Texas A&Ms game against UIW on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024 at Olsen Field. (Hannah Harrison/The Battalion)
Four for four
February 20, 2024
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Nancy Plakey-Videla stands in Evans Library on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.(Abdurahman Azeez/The Battalion)
A&M professors discuss Texas border policies, legal clashes with federal government
Cameron Gibson, News Reporter • March 28, 2024

For a few hours, a new law known as Senate Bill 4, or SB4, went into effect on March 20, making crossing the border illegally a state crime.  The...

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Texas A&M pitcher Evan Aschenbeck (53) delivers a pitch during Texas A&M’s game against Arizona State on Friday, March. 1, 2024 at Globe Life Field. (Chris Swann/The Battalion)
Aschenbeck’s extended relief guides A&M to 9-7 win over Auburn
Luke White, Sports Editor • March 28, 2024

Senior LHP Evan Aschenbeck entered the sixth inning of Thursday’s game between Texas A&M baseball and Auburn in a situation that likely...

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From feral to fostered
From feral to fostered
Camila Munoz, Life & Arts Writer • March 27, 2024

Texas A&M houses almost 70,000 students and nearly as many cats. The campus is home to a high feral cat population, most notably around Heldenfels...

Graphic of Jared Shult on TikTok
Jamming with Jared
March 27, 2024
The EV team displaying their car on March 24, 2024 at Aggie Park.
‘Rollout 2024’
March 25, 2024
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Should an app that sexualizes kids still be permitted within the United States? Opinion columnist Bj Barnes says it’s time to ditch TikTok. (Graphic by Ethan Mattson/The Battalion)
Opinion: Tick tock, TikTok
Bj Barnes, Opinion Columnist • March 28, 2024

The bipartisan bill that rocketed to the top of national headlines after passing the House 352-65 could spell doom for everyone’s favorite...

It’s all part of the plan

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During A&M’s first two seasons in the SEC, the first opponent the Aggies faced in conference play went on to play in the Sugar Bowl.
In 2012, A&M lost by three points to Florida, who would finish 11-1 in the regular season. In 2013, the Crimson Tide barely survived Kyle Field 49-42 and would also make the trip to New Orleans after narrowly missing the SEC Championship game.
This year’s opener came in the form of the then-No. 9 South Carolina Gamecocks. Would that game follow in the same vein? The answer was emphatically “no.”
After the Aggies shocked the world by hanging half a hundred on legendary coach Steve Spurrier, they set themselves up for success in a big way. Oddly similar to the hallowed 2012 season, A&M’s schedule sets it up to make a run at a SEC Championship.
Despite what many considered a lackluster performance against Rice this past weekend, a letdown game couldn’t have come at a better time for the Aggies. After two dominant performances to start the season, the Owls offered a nice wake- up call for an A&M team that perhaps had begun to rest on its laurels a bit. Even still, it’s always nice to be disappointed in a four-touchdown victory.
However, the gradual step-up in competition from here on out, with the exception of the SMU game, favors A&M. Arkansas will serve as the Aggies’ second SEC game, just like 2012. While the Razorbacks are nowhere near the disaster they were when they last came to Kyle Field, A&M should still be a favorite to down the Hogs in Jerry World.
Then the Aggies travel to Starkville, Miss., to face Mississippi State on their turf. What was a quiz against Rice will quickly become an exam, as Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs will look to move the ball around and challenge A&M to defend the spread. Same song, different verse as the Ole Miss Rebels travel to Kyle Field the following weekend.
When A&M travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Oct. 18, there is a decent chance that the Aggies could be 7-0 and a hot pick to make the inaugural college football playoff. If your déjà vu alarm isn’t going off at least a little bit, you might want to check it.
While the Aggies caught many people off guard when Johnny Football ran amok across the southeast two years ago, people expect A&M to score plenty of points this time. I don’t think that will keep the Aggies from doing exactly that. Nick Saban couldn’t do it, and he had a whole year to plan for it.
Nevertheless, a lot of things have to happen for the Aggies and Tide to clash in a battle of undefeated SEC West titans. Alabama traveling to Oxford is no gimme, as A&M fans almost found out each of the last two years. Both of the Mississippi schools will be looking to exact revenge for the destruction Johnny Manziel heaped on them, and Arkansas played the Aggies tough last year.
However, if you were to ask me, “So you’re saying there’s a chance?” I’d be lying if I answered anything but yes.

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