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Well, it’s finally here, the much anticipated kickoff to the 2018 season. A new era in Aggies football begins under head coach Jimbo Fisher and many unknowns will soon become known.
Though the consensus reveals that Texas A&M is at least a year away from competing for SEC honors, the Aggies were picked fourth in the preseason media poll despite eight returning starters on each side of the football, the upcoming season promises to breath fresh air into the program.
Here are five bold predictions for the upcoming season.
1. Trayveon Williams rushes for 1,000 yards
One of the cornerstones of Fisher’s coaching career has been the toughness of his teams, especially in the trenches. That fits right in with the SEC and should work to Williams’ advantage as he carries a much greater load in the Aggies’ offense. A solid run game is essential in building a competitive program as Fisher has proven from his days as offensive coordinator at LSU and head coach at Florida State, winning a national championship at each school. Williams will be featured as the Aggies become more physical. He should get many more carries in the new system and that would surely increase his totals of 798 rushing yards a year ago when he averaged 14 carries over 12 games played. He’ll be closer to 2016 form, when he averaged 6.3 yards en route to a 1,000-yard season.
2. Texas A&M beats LSU
The Aggies take the first big step in becoming contenders for SEC and national honors when they beat the Tigers for the first time since joining the conference. They get LSU at Kyle Field on Nov. 24, the regular-season finale, and Fisher gets his initial signature win.
It’s been a long time coming, Texas A&M hasn’t beaten LSU at College Station since 1995, losing the past seven meetings between the two programs. That’s also the last time the Aggies have claimed victory in a series that dates to 1899. But Fisher turns the tables and renews what was once a heated and bitter nonconference rivalry between the neighboring states with a victory that breaks a three-game home losing streak to the Tigers, the longest in series history.
3. Late-season collapse reversed
One of the biggest scars in the waning years of the Kevin Sumlin era was the late-season collapses the team suffered after building what otherwise looked like fairly decent seasons. That comes to a screeching halt as the Aggies return home from a brutal three-game road stretch to win their final three games, all at Kyle Field. Texas A&M takes care of business with Ole Miss to kick off a final surge that closes out the regular season with follow-up victories over UAB and the aforementioned LSU.
4. Aggies will equal last year’s regular-season record 7-5
It’s nothing to get excited about, but the Aggies will go 7-5 in Fisher’s first regular season. However, it is a familiar place, Texas A&M finished 7-5 or 8-4 over the final five consecutive seasons under Sumlin. And while that’s not where the Aggies or Fisher plan to be in future years, it’s actually not a bad beginning considering it’s a new system in the toughest conference in the country. A challenging three-game road stretch looks to make or break that prediction. SEC road tests at South Carolina, Mississippi State and Auburn will go a long way in determining the amount of success Fisher enjoys in his first season with the Aggies.
5. A bowl win and a national ranking
A bowl victory would give the Aggies a final record of 8-5 for the fourth time in the past five seasons. However, winning their final four games not only provides a wave of momentum heading into 2019, but also impresses the pollster just enough to squeeze them into the Top 25 for the first time since a No. 18 ranking in 2013 following a 9-4 campaign.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
