For the past two decades, Mark Passwaters and Samuel Smith have argued. About everything. This week, the Great Debate takes on a big question: Is Arkansas Texas A&M's real rival in the SEC?
Yes, Arkansas is the enemy
Samuel: Texas A&M will not have another rival like Texas. Period, full stop.
The combination of proximity, ideological differences, history and mutual animosity - near hatred really - can't be matched.
But it's a new day.
Who are the Ags' biggest rival now in the SEC West? I'd love for that to be Alabama. But they have a pure inner state rivalry with Auburn and a mutual disgust with Tennessee. A&M isn't really on their plane from a competitive standpoint yet, but honestly neither is anyone else. LSU? Nah. They hate Ole Miss and look up to Bama with the disrespect only a little brother who occasionally beats his big brother in tiddlywinks and dances around the room can understand. Mississippi State and Ole Miss have each other, and Ole Miss feels about LSU like LSU does Bama.
That leaves Arkansas.
A&M and Arkansas share a long history, back to the Southwest Conference days. The Aggies are 28-41-3 and first played Arkansas in 1903. That's a lot of games. There is also one major hurt in the rivalry from the maroon and white side. Old Army Ags still haven't gotten over 1975, when the second ranked Aggies lost to the Razorbacks in the last game of the regular season.
I've got to say the best thing about going to the SEC is that A&M can finally beat Arkansas. The out of conference games they played in Arlington while still a member of the University of Texas cartel conference were an absolute beating. The games seemed to follow a familiar pattern: A&M runs out to a lead, then the defense fell apart. I began to dread Arkansas week because I knew what was coming.
Then came Johnny. I became a believer in Manziel when he put up a bazillion yards of total offense in a 58-10 victory over the Hogs in 2012. It was almost a religious experience. Bama fans respect Johnny. LSU fans brag that he never beat them. Ole Miss fans call him a cheater. Auburn people snicker over the horse collar.
But Arkansas fans hate his guts.
Them despising the greatest player In program history only makes the rivalry that much more interesting. So here it is, Ags. The biggest rivalry game the guys will play this year. Not the most important. Not the one you want the most (that would be LSU, just to get the monkey off your back). Not the dream win on the road at Bryant-Denny (again). Unless of course A&M's season falls apart and Texas runs through their conference and they end up playing in a very minor bowl game.
No, target the Tigers
Mark: Arkansas has given the Aggies a couple of epic games. Their fans are thoroughly unlikable. Dan Skipper plays dirty.
The Razorbacks are not A&M's SEC rival. LSU is, and has been since day one.
There's a ton of reasons for this. First is proximity -- Baton Rouge is the closest SEC foe to College Station. There's a history here, going back to when the Tigers turned tail and ran when the Aggies were spanking them in the 1990s. The fan bases despise one another, and that has not changed over time.
The real reason LSU is A&M's archrival in the conference has nothing to do with playing on Thanksgiving, or one fanbase drinking moonshine and the other drinking beer. It has everything to do with this stat: 0-4.
LSU has owned the Aggies like a cheap hovel since they've arrived in the SEC. They had the answers to take out Johnny Manziel when nobody else could, and they have physically manhandled the Aggies since he left. A&M's best shot at beating them was two years ago, and a horribly missed offsides call allowed the Tigers to escape Kyle Field with a win. Both times the Aggies have gone to Death Valley, LSU has just lined up and punched them in the nose in embarrassing fashion.
The results on the field have extended to recruiting. The Aggies have won a few matchups head-to-head with LSU, but the Tigers are winning the majority of battles for the very best players who are deciding between the two. There's only one way to alter that: beat LSU on the field.
If the Aggies can take out the Tigers, that means two things: they're playing real SEC football and they've made a step forward in the SEC hierarchy. They have to be taken out for the Aggies to become a real threat for the conference title on a yearly basis. If getting consistently beaten and knowing what the consequences would be if things changed doesn't put a bulls-eye on LSU, I don't know what would.
After all, I kind of like the moonshine.
