Good Things Came

They say good things come to those who wait. I think that adage is trying to make a point that patience is a virtue. Well, I've been waiting for the Texas Aggies to have something resembling a special season for a long time, and one finally arrived.

The Aggies won the Big 12 championship in 1998 with a dramatic OT win over Kansas State, then went to the Sugar Bowl and got thumped by Ohio State. The downhill slide started gradually the following year, and by 2000 all the signals were indicating a program in decline.

For the next ten years (2000-2009), four conference teams made life miserable for TAMU. Nebraska won three of four games, Texas Tech won seven of ten, Oklahoma won nine of ten, and Texas U won eight of ten. Add it all together, and the TAMU record against those opponents was 7-27. This year, the Aggies again played all four and got a sweep. It didn't balance the ledger, but it was a step in the right direction. For ten years, it was a big deal in College Station if the Aggies could beat any one of those four opponents, and beating two of the four in the same season was unthinkable and beyond the realm of possibility. In 2010, the stars were aligned precisely -- A&M was good, Tech was in a rebuilding mode under a new coach, and Texas was in the shithouse for reasons no one completely understands. Nebraska was solid, but self-destructed with penalties and turnovers. 

My philosophy has always been that success results when ability merges with opportunity. This year the Aggies had the ability, they had the opportunity, and they were successful. Good things came to those who'd been waiting.