Texas A&M Schedule 2011: What to Know for Each Game

When looking at the Texas A&M Aggies' 2011 football schedule, I see some speed-bump games, but I also see a few landmines that could derail the Aggies' hopes for a BCS bid.

The Aggies are looking to take that next step after last year's Cotton Bowl loss to the LSU Tigers.

With almost every starter from last year's highly-potent offense returning—the Aggies only lost their starting center—Texas A&M is poised to challenge the Oklahoma Sooners for the Big 12 and play for a national title (if they go undefeated). 

If they want to do that, they will have to beat some solid football teams on the road, including the Oklahoma Sooners.

And they must defend home field advantage. With a tough road schedule, any loss at Kyle Field would be a terrible blow to the Aggies.

So let's take a look at the schedule.

vs. SMU, Sept. 4, 6:30 p.m.

Southern Methodist University is back to winning football games, and for the university and its alums, it is exciting see it back in Dallas, Texas.

SMU will be renewing an old Southwest Conference rivalry that was crushed after SMU received the NCAA's harshest punishment—the "death penalty".

SMU has not beaten the Aggies since the end of the SWC.

Over the past few seasons, SMU Head Coach June Jones has seen some remarkable progress. Last season, he led the Mustangs to a C-USA title game and a bowl appearance.

Junior QB Kyle Padron is coming off a very successful sophomore campaign with more than 3,800 yards passing, 31 TD and only 14 INT. With all five offensive line starters returning, Padron will have all he needs to lead the Mustangs to another bowl game.

Against the Aggies in Kyle Field, do not expect any sort of upset. It might be close (kind of), but the Aggies are just too much for SMU to handle on the road.

vs. Idaho, Sept. 17, 6 p.m.

After their 2009 Humanitarian Bowl victory, the Vandals had a somewhat disappointing 6-7 record in the 2010 season.

RB Ryan Bass is a transfer from Arizona State and he is looking to turn Idaho's running game around in 2011. Losing their top two wideouts will hurt a good amount, though.

Defensively, it will be tough to replace Shiloh Keo, who is now playing in the NFL for the Houston Texans.

The Vandals do return three other defensive backs and all of their starters on the LB core, including Tre'Shawn Robinson and Rober Siavii. The two combined for 170 tackles last year, including 18.5 for a loss.

With blowout losses to the top teams like Hawaii and Nevada in the conference last year, Idaho does not look to factor into the WAC conference title race.

Overall, I look for the Aggies to win this game with ease. Idaho is improving, but they are not nearly good enough to beat A&M in College Station.

vs. Oklahoma State, Sept. 24, 6 p.m.

The Texas A&M Aggies get a very tough challenge in their conference opener against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The Cowboys return QB Brandon Weedon and WR Justin Blackmon. They led the second-best passing attack in the nation last year.

The Cowboys return all five offensive line starters, as well.

Defensively, the Cowboys did force a league-high 19 turnovers in conference play. However, they only return five starters on defense and lost second-team All-Big 12 DE Ugo Chinasa, along with DT Chris Donaldson.

They also lost first-team All-Big 12 LB Orie Lemon. They will need a lot players to step in and fill voids if they want to win against the Aggies.

Freshman Christian Littlehead will be getting a chance to start alongside junior Nigel Nicholas on the defensive line.

The Aggies lead the all-time series, 17-9, but have lost their last three games against the Cowboys. 

This is one of those landmine games for the Aggies. They will need to play extremely well to beat a very tough Oklahoma State squad.

vs. Arkansas, Oct. 1, No Time Set

The Arkansas Razorbacks are coming back to Texas to play their old SWC rival, Texas A&M.

The problem is, they lost QB Ryan Mallet and three offensive linemen.

They do return a lot skill players—almost their entire receiving core and 1,300-yard rusher Knile Davis. Junior QB Tyler Wilson, who looks to be the favorite to win the starting QB job, will have a lot of help.

The thing to watch with their offense will be the line and how they replace their losses.

Overall, this had been a lopsided rivalry in the days of the Southwest Conference.

Arkansas leads all-time, 40-24-3, with Arkansas winning the last two meetings at Cowboys Stadium.

Given the question marks that surround the Arkansas offensive line, it is going to be tough for them to keep up with a high-powered A&M offense that features WR Jeff Fuller and RB Cyrus Grey and four returning offensive linemen.

Grey is going to have to have a big game for A&M to win. Arkansas allowed 163 yards per game on the ground last year.

at Texas Tech, Oct. 1, No Time Set

Given how tough Texas Tech plays in Lubbock, this game put the Aggies on upset alert. The Aggies lead the all-time series, which began in 1927, 36-32-1.

The Aggies have won the past two seasons, with Texas Tech winning four of the past six meetings.

While Tech loses its top wide receivers in Detron Lews and Lyle Leong, the Red Raiders do return some talented players like Austin Zousalik and Alex Torres. 

They also have RB Eric Stephens, who averaged 5.3 yards per carry last year, although they did lose Baron Batch.

Last year, the Red Raiders were 8-5 with a second straight bowl victory—this time against Northwestern in the inaugural TicketCity Bowl, played at the Cotton Bowl.

This year, Tech boasts one if its best0ever recruiting classes. It was ranked in the Top 20 by Rivals and features Tech's first true tight end in Jace Amaro. He looks to come into Lubbock and make an immediate impact. He was the Red Raiders only Rivals Top 100 player.

Right now. there is a QB battle between Seth Doege and Scotty Young, but it looks more and more like Doege is going to win it.

They will have a very solid offensive line with all five starters returning.

Defense, like most Big 12 schools, is the weak spot. They are losing Brian Duncan, Colby Whitlock and leading tackler Bront Bird.

With the implementation of the 4-2-5 defense, the Red Raiders will look to keep Tannehill and Fuller in check as much as possible.

Texas A&M needs to go into Lubbock and play tough and remain focused. Lubbock has proven to be a tough place to play for top opponents. Just ask the Missouri Tigers from last year.

vs. Baylor, Oct. 15, 2:30 p.m.

The Baylor Bears and the Texas A&M Aggies have a long history, dating back to before 1900.

The Aggies are 62-31-9 overall, including wins in five of the past seven meetings. Baylor hasn't won in College Station since 1984.

And do not expect this to change this year.

The Bears are coming off of their first bowl appearance since 1994, a 38-14 loss to Illinois in the Texas Bowl.

On offense, stud QB Robert Griffin is a true dual-threat QB. He had more than 3,500 yards passing last year and rushed for more than 600 yards and eight TD.

Throwing the ball, Griffin only had eight INT to go with 22 TD

Losing RB Jay Finley and his  more than 1,200 yards rushing is going to add a lot of pressure to Griffin to be the Baylor offense. Returning his top five WR should help a lot.

This is a game A&M should win without much problem, but do not be surprised if Griffin makes this a closer game than most think. He truly is a very talented player.

at Iowa State, Oct. 22, No Time Set

The Iowa State Cyclones are going into the 2011 season looking to replace QB Austen Arnaud and RB Alexander Robinson.

Junior college transfer Steele Jantz has been named the starter in Ames to replace Arnaud, and Shontrell Johnson looks to step up to fill the shoes of Robinson. He averaged more than six yards per carry last year in limited action as a true freshman.

It will be interesting to see if Robinson can emerge as a respectable RB.

The Cyclones also are losing their top two receivers, but return seniors Darius Darks and Darius Reynolds.

If ISU has a strength, it is probably their defense. They finished last year with a plus-6 turnover ratio.

They return some very talented defensive players, especially at linebacker. Jake Knott and A.J. Klein both return after leading the team in tackles last season with 130 and 111, respectively.

The Aggies are 7-1 against the Cyclones since the beginning of Big 12 play.

While it is no gimme because road games in the Big 12 are always tough, the Aggies are going to be the clear favorites and will look to brush aside the Cylcones.

vs. Missouri, Oct. 29, 2:30 p.m.

Missouri, like Iowa State, is looking to replace their starting QB.

However, after another 10-win season, they are in a much better place than the Cyclones.

Blaine Gabbert was a very effective QB for Mizzou, but now the Tigers will turn to James Franklin to try to fill the shoes of Gabbert, much like Gabbert did once Chase Daniel left.

Missouri's running game was very effective last year, as three different RB split time there. De'Vion Moore was the leading rusher with 517 yards and averaged more than five yards per carry. Kendall Lawrence and Henry Josey both had more than 400 yards rushing, also averaging well over five yards per carry.

T.J. Moe and seven top WR from last year return to give Franklin plenty of offensive fire power to work with.

Despite losing their first team All-Big 12 center, Tim Barnes, the Tigers still return the rest of their linemen.

Losing DE Aldon Smith is huge, but they still have plenty of talent of the defensive side of the ball. 

Last year, Missouri only allowed 16 points per game. Jacquies Smith and Brad Madison will highlight a very deep and talented defensive line while Zaviar Gooden headlines the linebacker group.

With a secondary that returns all four starters, this a team that has the defense to slow down Tannehill and company and this is by no means an easy game.

Missouri has played the Aggies very well since Big 12 play started, going 4-3 against A&M in conference play.

Missouri did take the Aggies down in College Station last year and it will be interesting to see if the Tigers can do it again.

at Oklahoma, Nov. 5, No Time Set

This is the make-or-break game right here for the Texas A&M Aggies.

If the Aggies can upset the Sooners, it means that they become the favorites to win the Big 12, assuming they have won every game up to this point, of course.

Yes, Texas A&M downed the Sooners last year, but that was in College Station.

OU owns the longest current home winning streak, which dates all the way back to 2005. The Sooners enter the season as big favorites to win the Big 12 and make the national title game.

OU was the tenth-best in the nation in yards per game on offense and third in passing yards.

Ryan Broyles leads the WR in Norman as he looks to have another great year padding the stat sheet with fellow Heisman hopeful QB Landry Jones.

If OU has a weakness, it is their defense. They had a linebacker group comprised of freshman and sophomores last year. The good news for them is that they are a year older and return second-team All-Big 12 LB Travis Lewis.

At corner, the names Jamell Fleming and Demontre Hurst should sound somewhat familiar. They lead a secondary that only let up a little over 200 yards in the air per game.

Texas A&M will have to play perfectly and get some big games defensively if they want to beat the Sooners on the road.

Since Big 12 play began, OU has a 10-5 record against the Aggies.

at Kansas State, Nov. 12, No Time Set

The Aggies and Kansas State Wildcats are tied at 4-4 in Big 12 play.

Kansas State no longer has Daniel Thomas and that in itself spells trouble for the team heading into the 2011 campaign.

Not only did they lose Thomas, they lost his backup, William Powell, too.

They do have a top high school recruit in Bryce Brown, but I am not sure if he can produce at the level of Thomas, who had 19 TD and more than 1,500 yards rushing.

Despite losing All-Big 12 players  Zack Kendall and Wade Weibert on the offensive line, the WIldcats have five returning players with starting experience.

With a very talented defensive line corps that returns five of its top six players from last year, A&M looks to be well prepared for the Wildcats' offense. A&M only allowed 3.5 yards per carry last year.

The Wildcat rushing defense was nothing short of disappointing last year, as it allowed 231 yards per game and 5.8 yards per carry. The good news is that they return eight of their top nine tacklers and have nowhere to go but up.

A&M just needs to play mistake-free football and should be able to go to Kansas State and pick up a conference road win.

vs. Kansas, Nov. 19, 2:30 p.m.

Turner Gill has had some growing pains in Lawrence since he was hired after his successful stint in Buffalo.

As a team, the Jayhawks were out-gained by 219 yards per game and outscored by nearly 30 points per game in conference play last year.

The bottom line is that Kansas had a very bad year last year and needs much better QB play.

Jordan Webb has been named the starter for the Jayhawks, but if he does not turn it around, look for either Quinn Mecham or freshman Brock Berglung to maybe take his place.

His 1,100 yards passing and 7-8 TD-to-INT ratio need to improve.

Missouri's leading high school rusher, Darrian Miller,  joins the Jayhawks this year. He joins James Sims, who had a very productive freshman season last year with 742 yards and nine TD. Kansas will need to rely on that running game to garner some momentum.

Kansas' defense was not very good last year either. To be fair, they were on the field a lot more often than most defenses because of the Jayhawks' terrible offense.

They return four defensive linemen with starting experience, headlined with Patrick Dorsey and Richard Johnson.

The Aggies are 6-1 against the Jayhawks since Big 12 play started, and I expect that dominance to continue this year, especially because the game will be played at Kyle Field.

vs. Texas, Nov. 24, 7:00 p.m.

As always, the Lone Star Showdown is going to be highly anticipated.

The Longhorns hold the overall record at 75-36-5, as they have dominated the Aggies since they first started playing in 1894.

This year, the Longhorns are looking for improved play from their QB (whoever that maybe, as head coach Mack Brown is still being mum). 

All that is known is that Garrett Gilbert's 10 TD and 17 INT is not the model for success in Austin.

The good news for the team in burnt orange is that UT knows how to recruit. They have a top three recruiting class coming in, according to Rivals.

This recruiting class is highlighted by RB Malcom Brown, who is looking to have a very productive 2011 campaign.

UT is returning just 12 total starters this year and will have a young and inexperienced group. But come late November, do not be surprised if Mack Brown has coached them up to elite status.

Malcom Williams and Mike Davis are very talented and are going to be a couple of the top WR options this year for the QB to be named later.

Defensively, UT looks to be pretty good, despite losing Sam Acho.

UT will look to guys like DT Alex Okafor and LB Jordan Hicks (who disappointed last year as a highly-touted high school recruit) to step up and play very well.

This UT squad is too unpredictable, but has the potential to be a very good football team. However, I feel the Longhorns are still going through growing pains and A&M looks to have the upper hand...for now.