The diehard fans will tell you that all losses are annoying if not downright painful. They’ll further tell you that nothing hurts worse than a tough loss, especially to a hated rival. Yes, it’s no surprise, losing isn’t fun.

Texas A&M learned that lesson again in Week 4, losing to Arkansas, ending its 9-game winning streak in the series. Maybe they’ll bounce back quickly.

Sometimes, though, there are losses that stick with you – that linger on for days, weeks, months, and even years after the fact. They’re just not so easy to shake off. Tough losses leave wounds that aren’t easily healed. Every school has its share.

And while it may be ideal to refrain from dredging up those bad memories, perhaps in some cathartic way, this can be helpful — or at the very least, somewhat entertaining. Here’s a look at 6 losses that still stick in the craw of Aggies fans.

In chronological order:

Oct. 3, 2020 Bryant-Denny – Alabama 52, Texas A&M 24

This was to be the year that Texas A&M finally took that next step. A four-year starter at quarterback and a veteran offensive line coupled with a group of skilled players as good as any in the SEC, it was the perfect setup for Texas A&M to own the league.

But all that hype came to a screeching halt almost before the team even had the chance to start rolling. In just the second game of a COVID shortened all-SEC schedule, the Aggies laid an egg on the road. Not a goose egg, mind you, in fact they battled back from an early 14-0 deficit to tie the game 14-14 early in the second quarter with a pair of TD passes from QB Kellen Mond.

But that’s when the Tide took over, scoring 3 unanswered touchdowns before the half to grab a commanding 35-14 lead, and the Aggies’ dreams of rising to the top of the SEC West were crushed.

Credit head coach Jimbo Fisher for keeping the ship afloat, the Aggies won their final 8 games of the season, including an impressive 41-27 Orange Bowl victory over North Carolina to finish 9-1 and a No. 4 ranking nationally.

Nov. 3, 2018 Jordan-Hare – Auburn 28, Texas A&M 24

Ranked No. 25 and looking to bounce back after a disappointing 28-13 loss at Mississippi State the week before, Texas A&M appeared to be back on track after an impressive 3 quarters of football at No. 21 Auburn. But their 24-14 lead vanished in the final minutes of play.

Turnovers and poor play opened the door for the home team to score a pair of touchdowns in just over 3 minutes on a Texas A&M squad that pretty much dominated statistically and appeared to have the game in hand.

The Aggies held a distinct 28-13 advantage in first downs and limited the Tigers to just 19 total yards rushing. They outgained Auburn 421-278, but it all broke down in the final minutes and the Aggies quickly went from an impressive SEC road victory to a head-scratching defeat.

Sept. 3, 2017 Rose Bowl – UCLA 45, Texas A&M 44

Speaking of appearing to have the game in hand, it was at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena that the Aggies had perhaps their biggest meltdown in program history. Leading the home-team Bruins 44-10 late in the 3rd quarter, the improbable happened.

UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen threw 4 touchdown passes in the 4th quarter, the last one with just 43 seconds to play to give the Bruins a miraculous comeback victory while the Aggies could do nothing but watch in amazement. After scoring points with relative ease from the start, Texas A&M was blanked over the final 19:08 of the game.

It was a devastating loss that effectively spelled the end of the Kevin Sumlin era. Sumlin was fired after the season, his sixth in College Station.

Aug. 30, 2008 Kyle Field – Arkansas State 18, Texas A&M 14

It was Mike Sherman’s first game as head coach at Texas A&M, a cupcake to get things started in College Station.

The Aggies were unimpressive in sleepwalking to a 14-3 halftime lead, but a victory was nevertheless almost assured against the Sun Belt foe…almost.

Texas A&M went silent in the second half while the Red Wolves did all the talking, scoring the go-ahead touchdown before adding a field goal for insurance over the final 4:39 of the 4th quarter.

The Aggies turned it over 4 times and were outgained 415-303 by the Red Wolves, who claimed their first-ever victory in 15 tries over a Big 12 school. The loss was Texas A&M’s first in a home opener in 21 years.

It was an inauspicious beginning for Sherman to be sure. The Aggies won just 4 games in 2008 and the former NFL Green Bay Packers head coach lasted just 4 seasons in College Station, compiling a 25-25 record (0-2 in bowl games).

Oct. 30, 2004 Floyd Casey – Baylor 35, Texas A&M 34 (OT)

Dennis Franchione’s Aggies were looking to rebound from his 4-8 inaugural season. After stumbling out of the starting gate with a 41-21 loss at Utah, they reeled off 6 consecutive victories, rose to a No. 16 ranking and appeared to be on a collision course with No. 2 Oklahoma for a possible Big 12 title.

Only lowly Baylor stood in the way. The Bears were 2-5 and on a 4-game skid when Texas A&M came to Waco for what was expected to be a tune-up game. The Aggies hadn’t lost to Baylor in 18 straight meetings (17 wins, 1 tie) and just a year earlier annihilated the Bears, 73-10.

But the Aggies blew a 13-3 halftime lead and the Bears matched Texas A&M’s overtime touchdown. But instead of going for the tie and a second overtime period, Baylor was successful on a 2-point conversion to pull the upset.

The loss sent the Aggies into a tailspin, losing 4 of their final 5 games of the season including a 38-7 loss to Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl.

Nov. 8, 2003 Memorial Stadium – Oklahoma 77, Texas A&M 0

It was just a year earlier, in RC Slocum’s 14th and final season at Texas A&M, that the Aggies knocked off No. 1 Oklahoma, 30-26, at Kyle Field. But in Franchione’s first season at College Station, the Sooners got their revenge in a big way. They scored on 10 of 11 possessions and held Texas A&M to just 54 total yards and 3 first downs. The Aggies never made it past their own 40-yard line.

It was total domination, as the score would indicate, from beginning to end. And believe it or not, it could have been worse – much worse. The Sooners led 49-0 at halftime, and 77-0 with still over a minute to play in the third quarter before calling off the dogs in one of the most humiliating losses in Aggies’ football history.