As the decade comes to an end, the hope is that the next one starts as well as the past one. Maintaining and building upon that potential quick start to the 2020s is what Aggieland is hopeful will set it apart from the 2010s.

The Aggies compiled a 76-41 record as they head into the Texas Bowl on Dec. 27, the 11th consecutive bowl appearance and 2nd in as many years under coach Jimbo Fisher, who led the Aggies to a 52-13 romp of NC State in the 2018 Gator Bowl, Texas A&M’s 1st bowl victory since 2014.

The decade was highlighted by some outstanding talent, most notably Johnny Football, who was 1 of 9 Aggies taken in the 1st round of the NFL Draft. Myles Garrett topped them all, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

Luke Joeckel was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Von Miller started it all as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.

There were big moments this decade for Texas A&M football, here are our top 10 moments of the decade.

10. Kevin Sumlin fired after 5 consecutive seasons of 7 or more wins

After making a big splash with Texas A&M as it began its run in the Southeastern Conference, Sumlin’s teams sans Manziel were mediocre, winning 7 to 9 games in 5 consecutive years and never losing fewer than 4. It led to a change and a commitment to upgrade not only its facilities, but also its coaching staff.

9. Johnny Manziel turns pro

Leaving after his redshirt sophomore season in 2013, Manziel left the Aggies at the altar, bypassing his final two seasons in College Station, for the limelight of the NFL. He was a 1st-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, selected 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns where he played 2 seasons.

8. Jimbo Fisher signs contract

A program stuck on 7-9 wins a season looked elsewhere to inject new life. Jimbo Fisher was lured to College Station with a mind-blowing 10-year, $75 million guaranteed contract.

His first 2 years? More of the same: 9 wins in Year 1 and no more than 8 in Year 2.

7. 2012 Cotton Bowl victory over No. 12 Oklahoma

After winning the Heisman Trophy, Manziel punctuated the Aggies’ 1st season in the SEC with a 41-13 victory over Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. The victory was Texas A&M’s 11th of the season, the most for the program since 1998.

6. Aggies break streak in epic 74-72 7 OT victory over LSU

The game tied the college football record for overtimes (7) and set a record for most combined points in a game. The Aggies snapped a 7-game losing streak to LSU when QB Kellen Mond completed a 2-point conversion pass to Kendrick Rogers to win one of the wildest games ever played.

5. Kyle Field expansion

Expanding to a seating capacity of 102,733, Texas A&M went all in to compete with the top facilities in the country, committing $485 million to the two-year project (2014-15). Kyle Field is 1 of the 5 largest stadiums in college football and had its largest crowd of 110,633 for the Ole Miss game on Oct. 11, 2014.

4. Manziel wins 2012 Heisman

For the first time, a redshirt freshman won the Heisman. Manziel set the Aggies’ program, the SEC and the nation on its ear with one of the most electrifying seasons ever. The redshirt freshman threw for 3,706 yards and 26 TDs, and ran for another 1,410 yards and 21 scores.

3. Manziel, Aggies beat No. 1 Alabama in 2012

Manziel threw for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns, and added 92 yards rushing in a 29-24 upset victory over the top-ranked Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. It was the program’s 2nd win over the AP top-ranked team. (The Aggies defeated then-No. 1 Oklahoma, 30-26, in 2002 at Kyle Field.)

2. Johnny Manziel signs with Class of 2011

A 3-star recruit from Kerrville was the only quarterback Sumlin recruited that year. He must have known something that those who hand out stars did not. But even Sumlin could not have know the heights Johnny Football would eventually take himself and the program.

1. Texas A&M joins the SEC in 2012

The Aggies moved to the SEC after spending the previous 16 seasons in the Big 12, following 8 decades in the old Southwest Conference. It was a bold move and one that once and for all took the Aggies out from underneath the shadows of the University of Texas, leaving the Longhorns in their dust.