re: Was Texas A&M considered a Big12 fball power?

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The hotel lobby was filled with Texas A&M supporters dressed in their Cotton Bowl T-shirts, some brandishing their class rings, others in A&M baseball caps. It is bowl week here and, for the second straight year, Aggie fans are out in full force.

This time, though, they have little to celebrate. Twice let down -- first by the bowl selection committee, then by some of their own -- the Aggie fans have come hard to the knowledge that Friday's game between Texas A&M and Notre Dame is not merely about football, not anymore.

Instead, the 57th Cotton Bowl is also an example of the problems facing big-time college athletics. First, the Cotton Bowl committee selected Notre Dame and its high television ratings as the Aggies' opponent rather than the higher-ranked Seminoles of Florida State. That move all but eliminated any real chance for undefeated Texas A&M to win a national championship.

Then, almost two weeks ago, reports surfaced that a few Texas A&M players had violated National Collegiate Athletic Association rules by accepting paychecks from a booster for jobs they didn't hold. The impact on the program was immediate and two-fold: The Aggies suffered public humiliation, then lost four of their players -- including the star sophomore running back Greg Hill -- to school-imposed suspensions. 'That Damn Story'

"It's like we all just got kicked in the gut," said 57-year-old David Smithson of Fort Worth, an A&M fan who said he was "disgusted" by this year's Cotton Bowl. "You think we have a chance to finally show people something, in a big bowl game on television, and nobody's going to care about anything except the money and that damn story they wrote."

The Dallas Morning News reported on Dec. 19 that Texas A&M had violated several N.C.A.A. regulations in connection with payments made to players by a Dallas-based developer, Warren Gilbert. According to the report, several Aggies were on the payroll for Gilbert's company, but had not performed any work. Gilbert has denied any wrongdoing.

Six days later, Texas A&M suspended four players. The university rejected several allegations, but acknowledged that an internal investigation had found the summer salaries of four players to be questionable.

Even before the allegations of A&M's impropriety, though, the Aggies were suffering from a severe lack of national respect. Beyond its 12-0 record, Texas A&M's argument for national championship consideration is weak.

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Y'all are literally the only fanbase left that gives a shite about probation and not paying players.

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Damn man!!! How bad were y'all in the last 5 years of the Big12???

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Terrible.

2007: 7-6
2008: 4-8
2009: 6-7
2010: 9-4
2011: 7-6

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