Why Is Texas A&M Struggling Their Last Year in the Big 12?

Back in August, most Aggie fans were on cloud nine. The Texas A&M football team was ranked in the top 10 in all of the preseason polls. It appeared that an announcement that the Aggies were going to join the Southeastern Conference in 2012 was imminent, and the athletic department had just finished one of their best overall performances ever.

The move to the SEC was announced, but everything did not go as planned for the Ags. The A&M football team suffered through a disappointing 7-6 season. The men's basketball team, which had previously gone to six straight NCAA tournaments, is struggling through a losing season. How has a year filled with so much athletic promise turned so wrong for A&M?

Injuries, Injuries and More Injuries

The easiest answer to that question is injuries. The football team lost their best cornerback, Coryell Judie, for most of the season. Starting defensive end Jonathan Mathis was lost for the year after the Oklahoma State game. Christine Michael was knocked out for the season against OU, and Cyrus Gray was injured against Kansas.

Everyone has injuries, but the sheer number and the severity of the injuries made this year a statistical outlier for A&M. The Aggies lost most of their games because they could not consistently score points in the second half. Losing their top cover corner, a starting defensive end and their two best running backs did not help the situation.

It would have been interesting to see how national champion Alabama would have fared this year if  Dre Kirkpatrick was injured all season and Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacey missed the Auburn game.

The men's basketball team has seen their star small forward, Khris Middleton, miss multiple games due to a knee injury. Kourtney Roberson is their most consistent post player, and he is out for the year with a broken ankle. Starting point guard Dash Harris has missed games with injuries also.

The inconsistency in the lineup has led to major issues on the offensive end of the court. The Aggies cannot score enough to win games.

Sick Coach

The men's basketball team also had to deal with a new coach and a new system. Billy Kennedy was hired when Mark Turgeon left during the summer to take the Maryland job. Kennedy was expected to bring a new, more transition-oriented system to College Station.

Kennedy became ill and was diagnosed with Parkinson's before the basketball season started. He spent a month away from the team. He has had to learn to adjust to the players on the run, and vice versa.

Backup point guard Jamal Branch became frustrated with his playing time after he was unable to beat out Dash Harris for the starting spot. He decided to leave the team at midseason and transfer to another school. When Harris went down to a leg injury, the Ags were left with shooting guard Elston Turner manning the point.

It has all added up to a major disappointment on the court for the Aggies. A season in which they were the preseason favorite to win the conference title has turned into what is, at times, unwatchable basketball.

Silver Lining?

If there is a silver lining to these disappointing seasons in the major sports, it is that expectations should be low when they take the field in the SEC in 2012.

If the Aggies had won 10 or 11 games in football as expected in 2011, then any drop-off in the much tougher SEC in 2012 would have been viewed as a disappointment. As it stands now, if the Aggies go 7-5 in Kevin Sumlin's first season in Aggieland, it will be viewed as acceptable.

Most Aggies realize that the SEC is a whole new ballgame and are expecting a transitional year on the field. The lowered expectations after a 7-6 season should help in this regard.

The men's basketball team has nowhere to go but up. With Middleton returning at 100 percent in 2012, Roberson back from injury and a solid recruiting class coming in, the Aggies should be competitive in a much improved SEC basketball conference.

The Ags have won conference titles in women's swimming and diving and men's and women's indoor track. The Aggie baseball team is currently ranked in the top 10 in the nation and has a good shot at returning to Omaha. The outdoor track and field seasons have not started yet, but the Aggies should be a threat to win the national title in men's and women's track once again. The spring sports can end the year on a positive note and give Aggie fans something to smile about heading into the offseason.