Bobby Petrino is an offensive upgrade, but it doesn’t mean A&M deserves preseason Top 25 love

Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Jimbo Fisher deserves credit.

He recognized that if he continued to be his team’s primary offensive play-caller, he was going to whiff on whatever sort of championship window his team had after signing that historic 2022 recruiting class. Two years of offensive incompetence got us here, to Fisher hiring Bobby Petrino as his first ever play-caller.

It’s a marriage that could get the Aggies out of their multi-year offensive rut. In an ideal world, Conner Weigman will take that Year 2 step under Petrino’s tutelage and by midseason, we’ll be heaping praise on Fisher for hiring the right offensive play-caller instead of saying to A&M, “I’m still owed $76,800,000 after 2023 so I know you’re not firing me for refusing to adapt.”

Let’s give Fisher credit. Let’s not, however, give him the benefit of a preseason Top-25 spot.

I know what you’re thinking. “Polls don’t matter.” You disagree with me saying that there’s “benefit” in a preseason Top-25 spot.

Answer me this then, skeptic. Do teams have monetary gain during an 8-month offseason if they’re treated as one of the nation’s best? Absolutely. It’s the reason preseason polls exist. It generates discussion. It sells tickets. It paints the brand to recruits in a positive light instead of asking the other question that most 5-7 teams are faced with.

What’s wrong?

This is worth mentioning because if you take a glance at the way-too-early rankings for 2023, you’ll see A&M at:

  • No. 21 in Sporting News
  • No. 22 in 247sports
  • No. 25 in The Athletic

And while the AP Top 25 won’t come out until August, I can guarantee that the Aggies will at least be in the “receiving votes” category.

My question is simple — why? I didn’t rank the Aggies in our way-too-early Top 25.

I can think Petrino is an on-field upgrade and also believe the Aggies don’t deserve preseason Top-25 love. That’s not some anti-A&M take; that’s an anti-5-7 take. One nice LSU win and a new offensive play-caller doesn’t suddenly vault an Aggies team who took until late-November to score more than 28 points against FBS competition.

Yes, A&M should improve offensively. That’s not saying much. That’s saying Petrino will likely provide a boost to a unit that averaged a shade under 25 points per game against FBS competition the past 2 seasons. In the 22 games A&M played against FBS competition in that stretch, it had just 5 total passing plays of 40 yards (even Vandy had 9 and South Carolina had 22 during that stretch).

The good news is that A&M returns receivers Evan Stewart and Moose Muhammad III. In addition to returning that entire starting offensive line, this isn’t a total gut job from a personnel standpoint.

The bad news is that in addition to the fact that the 2 best offensive players (Devon Achane and Ainias Smith) are off to the NFL, A&M already had 27 (!) players enter the transfer portal, and so far, Fisher only added 3 players. Even in the likely event that A&M attacks the portal more aggressively in spring, it’s fair to have questions about depth, especially after the Aggies went from bad to worse once injuries hit in 2022.

If you think 2022 was just the byproduct of injuries and you forgot how bad A&M was early in the season, see “State, Appalachian.”

Therein lies the problem with giving A&M early Top-25 love. What’s it based on? If your default response to that has anything to do with the historic 2022 class, I’d remind you that 5 of those top-100 recruits already hit the portal. Seven players who were rated as 4- or 5-star recruits from A&M’s 2022 class are gone.

Of course, one of the guys who didn’t bolt was the aforementioned Weigman. The former 5-star recruit is a worthy source of optimism after showing promise as a true freshman with a depleted A&M roster down the stretch. At the same time, we’re talking about someone with 4 career starts and 1 game with 200 passing yards. That doesn’t scream “put this 5-7 team in the preseason Top 25.”

And while preseason rankings aren’t really about quarterback depth, it’s probably worth noting that after Haynes King and Eli Stowers hit the portal, A&M’s backup is 171-pound true freshman Marcel Reed.

There are more ways that this goes wrong than right. We’re talking about a program that started No. 6 and finished unranked in each of the past 2 seasons. The Aggies compiled an 11-11 record vs. FBS competition and they went 6-10 vs. the SEC during that stretch.

That’s far more relevant to a preseason ranking than going through the Aggies’ 2023 schedule and attempting to project wins and losses. By the way, future schedules should never be factored into preseason rankings. You’re not trying to predict where a team will finish. You’re trying to say where you think a team is if it stepped on the field today.

If A&M stepped on the field today, I’d expect to see an above average squad in the trenches. I’d also expect to see a totally unproven backfield and a talented, but thin group of pass-catchers for Weigman, who should be put in better spots with Petrino at the controls … as long as Fisher doesn’t micromanage. Even Fisher doesn’t know if that’ll be an issue. He’s never surrendered play-calling duties until now.

The Aggies can go 10-2 next year and I’d still argue that they didn’t deserve to start in the top 25. Not on the heels of a 5-7 season. Not for a team that has only started AND finished in the AP Top 25 twice in the 21st century. If we want to make that determination after the trip to Miami (FL) or after the SEC opener against Auburn, that’s fine. I’ll have no problem leading that charge if that’s what our eyes tell us.

But to this point, our eyes have told us that a team fresh off a 5-7 season won’t be worthy of getting the benefit of the doubt.

And yes, a preseason ranking is a benefit.

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  • President Lyndon B. Johnson once said, "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."

    • Are you related to AnonymousFan? You both post similar meaningless stuff unrelated to the article at hand over and over again

      • I AM THE BROTHER of CORCH!!!!!!!!!!!!

        Please repent save your soul wwjd? feed and house the homeless. love thy neighbor. do not discriminate due to race or religion. turn the other cheek. realize that wh!te people have had the ultimate privilege over everyone for hundreds and hundreds of years. Repent.

        • I know exactly what je$us should do and that is smite Willyboob.

          Did you know that black people are still enslaving their own people over in Africa? And, let's not forget who sold them to the Europeans in the first place. Turns out they did future generations a solid cause welcome to the land of the free.

        • vfl is happy to attack bl@ck people, but won't even acknowledge the wh!te @trocities us wh!te people have committed over hundreds and hundreds of years. Did you know that the romans (wh!te people) murd3r3d je$us ( a J3W)?? Are you proud of that?

        • that is true as there was no j3sus good call OrionPeaceUGA, but you have to use a simpletons language to get your point across.

        • "vfl is happy to attack bl@ck people, but won’t even acknowledge the wh!te @trocities us wh!te people have committed over hundreds and hundreds of years. Did you know that the romans (wh!te people) murd3r3d je$us ( a J3W)?? Are you proud of that?"

          Farrakhan is here! YAH!!!!!!!

        • "that is true as there was no j3sus good call OrionPeaceUGA, but you have to use a simpletons language to get your point across."

          Does your psychologist know you're using her computer right now?

        • And yet nobody here can admit to even an ounce of wh!te privilege and oppresion over the course of hundreds of years!!!! can't even admit that je$$$us was a J3W and wh!te people k!lled him (according to your bedtime story )!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        • "And yet nobody here can admit to even an ounce of wh!te privilege and oppresion over the course of hundreds of years!!!! can’t even admit that je$$$us was a J3W and wh!te people k!lled him (according to your bedtime story )!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

          Now that we know you hate white people, what are your thoughts on TAM and Bobby Petrino?

        • I AM WHITE!!!!!!! AND FROM THE SOUTH!!!!!!!! MY FAMILY LINEAGE CAN BE TRACED BACK HUNDEDS OF YEARS!!!! CORCH AND I'S FAMILY OWNED PEOPLE!!!!! WE ALL MUST REPENT OR FACE SAT@N'S VEINY P3NI$$$$$$$!!!!!!!

      • "Are you r a c i s t to black people or do you hate white people???"

        You'd have to ask one of the many voices in his head.

      • JE$$$$$US ISN'T REAL. I'VE SAID MANY TIMES THAT YOU HAVE TO USE THE LANGUAGE OF RET@RDS AND SIMPLETONS TO MAKE YOUR POINT. I HAVE CONTRIBUED MY TIME AND MONEY TO HELP THE HOMELESS FOR DECADES NOW. HOW MUCH DO YOU GIVE TO CHARITY THAT ISN'T SOME BS TAX SCAM JUST SO YOU CAN TRICK YOURSELF INTO THINKING YOU ARE FOLLOWING THE TEACHING OF THE B!BLE AND JE$$$$US!!!!!!!!! REPENT

      • YEs I AM!!!! I had to go to ISLA HOLBOX in mexico for a few days. When it drops below 50 I have to go keep my trumplestiltskin tan. Try learning spanish it will help!! if you can afford to go that is :(

        • RONNYBOY WHAT ABOUT THAT SENTENCE IS GRAMATTICALY WRONG????? GO BACK AND FINISH GRADE SCHOOL YOU DUNCE!!!!!!!! ISLE HOLBOX IS SPANISH LIKE I SAID TRY TO READ UP ON IT A BIT

        • "RONNYBOY WHAT ABOUT THAT SENTENCE IS GRAMATTICALY WRONG????? GO BACK AND FINISH GRADE SCHOOL YOU DUNCE!!!!!!!! ISLE HOLBOX IS SPANISH LIKE I SAID TRY TO READ UP ON IT A BIT"

          Go back to 2nd grade.

          Learn sentence structure.

          Learn how to spell words correctly.

        • LOL NOW YOU USE MY INSULT TO YOU AGAINST ME??? YIKES NO WONDER tennessee IS SUCH AN UNEDUC@TED STATE!!!! CORCH HAS SPOKEN!!!!

      • LIKE THE GOVERNORS OF FL AND TX DID TO THOSE POOR PEOPLE!!!! CORCH IS SHAMED AND I AM HORRIFIED. WOULD JE$$$$US PUSH PEOPLE AWAY OR WOULD HE WELCOME AND HELP THEM????? HYPOCRITE$$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!

        • Here’s a thought. YOU go ahead and let all of those m!grants into your home. YOU feed them and take care of them. Have at it. I don’t want to pay for them. I’m already paying enough for welf@re for people that are just lazy. I could not care less about any of those people. I truly don’t care about most people. I’m not Je$us and I’m not gonna try to be.

          Didn’t you say he wasn’t real in a comment above? This dude is way off the rails. California implant with his liber@l mind and all of that CRT training.

        • DID YOUR HUMAN TRAFFICKING ADD ANYTHING TO THE CONVERSATION??????? ALSO, ITS TAMU YOU !D!OT!!!!! EVERYONE CAN ONLY ATTACK ME NOT MY FACTS. THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR SNOWFLAKE B UTTHURT FEELINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        • JE$$$$$US ISN’T REAL. I’VE SAID MANY TIMES THAT YOU HAVE TO USE THE LANGUAGE OF RET@RDS AND SIMPLETONS TO MAKE YOUR POINT. I HAVE CONTRIBUED MY TIME AND MONEY TO HELP THE HOMELESS FOR DECADES NOW. HOW MUCH DO YOU GIVE TO CHARITY THAT ISN’T SOME BS TAX SCAM JUST SO YOU CAN TRICK YOURSELF INTO THINKING YOU ARE FOLLOWING THE TEACHING OF THE B!BLE AND JE$$$$US!!!!!!!!! REPENT

        • LOLOLOL YOU CAN'T GIVE ANY TYPE OF RESPONSE THAT ISN'T A PERSONAL ATTACK. THAT IS THE MARK OF AN IGNORAMUS. SCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!! CORCH SAYS SCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOL TOO!

        • "EVERYONE CAN ONLY ATTACK ME NOT MY FACTS. "

          Everyone as in the voices in your head?

          Also, typing in all caps really helps you get your point across. I just love the misspelled words, an tisemiti sm, r acism etc.

        • "LOLOLOL YOU CAN’T GIVE ANY TYPE OF RESPONSE THAT ISN’T A PERSONAL ATTACK. "

          Irony. Sheer irony.

        • CORCH AND I SAY FACTS DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS!!!!!!!!!!!! NOBODY HAS SAID ANYTHING THAT HAS SHOWN MY FACTS TO BE INCORRECT. ONLY WISHING JE$$$$US SHOULD SMITE ME AND THAT I'M "OFF MY MEDS" THAT IS WHAT !D!OTS DO WHEN THEY HAVE LOST AN ARGUMENT!!!!!!!! SAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        • RonMexico

          There is no making sense with this brussel sprout. I do laugh at him.

          FYI Willyboob - kidnapping and r@ping immigr@nt children isn't considered "helping the homeless" in most places. Probably top 5 resident on Epste!n island. Did you, 0bama, and Clinton have a good time and enjoy your "pizza"?

          You do you fella.

        • VFL CONFIRMED TO HAVE A R@PE FETI$H!!!!! PROBABLY TRAUMA FROM HIS CHILDHOOD CHURCH UPBRINING!!!!!!!!!! DONT DROP THE SOAP, ALTHOUGH IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WANT TO!!!!!!!

          ur gross bro

        • WAIT...CORCH TELLS ME UR UPSET BC YOU GOT C0CK3D OUT OF THE CFP!!!! I THINK I CAN TASTE YOUR TEARS ALL THE WAY FROM THE BEACH IN MEXICO!!!!!

        • LOL NO KIDDING YOURE FROM THE US WHY CANT YOU READ?????? I AM IN MEXICO WITH TACOS AND T!TT!ES WHILE YOU EAT CATFOOD OUT OF THE CAN. GO FIX THE ANTENNA ON YOUR TRAILER SO YOU CAN STOP THINKING BEFORE YOU HURT YOURESLF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        • "GO FIX THE ANTENNA ON YOUR TRAILER SO YOU CAN STOP THINKING BEFORE YOU HURT YOURESLF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

          VERY ironic.

        • I'M NOT SURE YOU KNOW WHAT IRONIC MEANS!!!??!! AGAIN- TRY DICTIONARY. DICTIONARY IS A BOOK. A BOOK IS SOMETHING YOU READ. READING IS PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER TO MAKE A SENTENCE. A SENTENCE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN'T COMPREHEND APPARENTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          CORCH AGREEEEES

        • So we all are in agreement that Willyboob should catch a case of the Damar Hamlin? But alone at his house. Last thing we would want is for an EMT to be anywhere nearby.

          Again, don't care about most people so don't think I'm gonna start with this clown and his jack@ssery.

        • Nah I wouldn't want to wish that on anybody. But this dude is different.

          He needs some help. Like SERIOUSLY.

          He must be off his meds or something.

        • Nobody WANTS to wish that on somebody. I’d rather use my wishes for something better. More worth my while. So, I’ll just sit back, relax and let his multiple c0v!d v@x sh0ts do their thing.

      • Listen man, I didn't want to chime in during that lunatic exchange. I don't take him seriously though, I think it's an act. I do find it hilarious that he dragged Corch into his idiocy

        • CORCH MAKE FUNNY HAHAS!!! REALCAJONES IS A LOT SMARTER THAN THESE OTHER MOR0NS. ALSO WTF IS VFL TALKING ABOUT??????? HOW DID HE GET THERE?!?!?! NOBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT R@PE!!!!! SOUNDS LIKE PROJECTION! GO LOOK THAT UP IN THE DICTIONARY. A DICTIONARY IS A BOOK THAT TELLS YOU WHAT WORDS MEAN. A BOOK IS MADE FROM PAPER AND SOMETHING YOU READ (IF YOU CAN TENNESEE IS A PRETTY STUP1D STATE!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • A&M may improve some, but I still think they are an 8-4 or 9-3 team at best as long as they win the OOC games outside of Miami. Still a 3 or 4 game improvement.

  • O'Gara at his most ridiculous. "Do teams have monetary gain during an 8-month offseason if they’re treated as one of the nation’s best?" - Being ranked 21-25 in a preseason poll carries ABOLUTELY no weight.

    • It probably doesn’t matter as much at the end of the season but higher ranked teams get more coverage and often better TV slots. Even the crawlers typically only show the top 25 scores and the game highlights are focused on the top 25.

      • Exactly, preseason rankings are just beauty pageants lobbied by media execs - they should mean zilch, but it brings in cash. A&M and Oklahoma were the kids everyone wanted to bring to prom until they got back to the hotel room and showed they were about 6 inches short of a good time

    • Wonder if he's got his motorcycle gassed up and ready to take his new lovely assistant on a ride? I'm sure he still has that neck brace handy as well...

    • So better offensive production won't make the team better? Gotcha.

      For all you simpletons: A&M was 5-7 last year with an atrocious offense. 5 losses were by 6 or less.

      A&M offense better = A&M team better. Is that broken down enough?

      • It had to happen with 7 losses and no bowl otherwise, Jimbo doesn't change.
        My thought on the hire is how easily the OC can be overruled.
        K Briles or G. Riley would have been overruled. Petrino won't be, but he better get this offense rolling.

    • GIVE AWAY all of your EARTHLY POSSESIONS- FOLLOW JESUS' PATH. HUMBLE YOURSELF. LOVE THY NEIGHBOR. REPENT. REPENT. REPENT. YOU GIVE ALL YOUR MONEY TO cHU RCH AND NONE TO PEOPLE IN NEED. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME.

      • I give my money to people in "need" every single time I get paid. It's called welfare. If people in "need" want some money, go get a job. In fact, they can come see me and I'll give them one. It's real easy. Even Je$us had a job. He was a carpenter.

        This guy is off his d@mn rocker people.

      • Interesting, WillyBob. Can you point me to the verse where Jesus said you must force others to give?

  • Had Petrino signed on with just about any "tradional" SEC school I have the feeling this piece would have been written with a completely opposite viewpoint.

    • I am happy about unranked with no hope. As we line up for Sec play, the lack of respect could cause trouble.
      Lsu was not given respect and they ripped through the West except for A&M game.

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Connor O'Gara