Texas A&M Football: The Aggies' Biggest Respect Games in 2012

With Texas A&M making its "official" move into the SEC later this summer, many aspects of football in College Station have been stirring. The recruiting trail has been hotter than ever while current players work out and practice over the course of the last few months before the season begins.

In the film room, the new coaching staff helps establish schemes to shut down and score on A&M's first opponent Louisiana Tech. One of A&M's biggest football seasons ever continues to approach with rapid haste, however.

Overall, the Aggies have a decent schedule. Matchups against the SEC West along with two from the East are scattered here and there. Four out-of-conference games are mixed in wherever is necessary.

Looking at the lineup for Texas A&M, however, a few games stick out, even to the common fan. We take a look at the top five "respect" games for the Aggies as the 2012 season begins to close in on them. 

5) Nov. 3 @ Mississippi State

As Texas A&M enters the SEC, many fans and analysts will expect certain wins over the course of the season. Those include Sam Houston State, South Carolina State and Ole Miss. 

Other games, such as Alabama and LSU, will be matchups that most everyone (save the delusional) believe A&M has no shot in. Personally, I think that's the correct outlook. 

The rest of the schedule is possible to swing either way. With Louisiana Tech, SMU and Mississippi State leaning towards victory, Florida, Arkansas and Auburn looking more like losses and Missouri sitting directly in the middle, Aggies understand how important all of these games will be.

Specifically, the midseason matchup at Starkville versus the Bulldogs will present a big-time representation of how good this A&M team really is. The other SEC maroon and white squad is, approximately, on the equal footing with the Aggies football-wise.

Furthermore, Mississippi State will be hosting A&M. A road victory in the SEC, especially in the West, will be essential to any kind of success in the conference. While the Bulldogs have a ton of talent, an Aggies win will show their new home that they are no pushover. 

4) Sept. 29 vs. Arkansas

This game will be all about one ideal: revenge.

For the past three seasons, Texas A&M and Arkansas have competed in the Southwest Classic up in Jerry Jones' new Cowboy Stadium. The game pitted the two Southwest Conference rivals against each other in what will now be an SEC West matchup, exponentially increasing this former out-of-conference game to an interleague showdown.

Each of those three games have gone the Razorbacks' way, with the last one ending in what arguably started A&M's "can't finish the game" syndrome in 2011. Following the Aggies' 35 first-half points, Arkansas held their former SWC rival to just three to pull off a stunning 42-38 victory. 

As Arkansas visits College Station next season, the Aggies will be looking for vengeance for the past three years. One of the nation's top quarterbacks in Tyler Wilson will be leading the Hogs against A&M, but now that big-shot coach Bobby Petrino has taken his leave, many of the Kyle Field Faithful see the game as a possible win.

Be expecting a dog-fight between two high-octane offenses in what should come down to the wire. 

3) Aug. 30 @ Louisiana Tech

While this may just be Texas A&M's season opener, it will be, by far, one of their most anticipated games in a long time. With new head coach Kevin Sumlin and the Aggies facing off in Shreveport, LA against the this WAC big-shot, tons of pride and future success will be riding on them emerging victorious.

The Bulldogs are no pushover to say the least. Last season, they almost took down a very talented TCU squad in the Poinsettia Bowl, losing by just a touchdown and blowing a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Furthermore, this matchup will be on the road against a team that Sumlin and his Houston Cougars took down by just one point last year. While UH doesn't exactly have the kind of prestige Texas A&M does on the football field, don't expect Louisiana Tech to give up much during their home opener.

Taking the win back to College Station would present A&M with some hope for the future while a loss could begin a downward spiral of doom, failure and endless ridicule. For the Aggies, this game can not turn into another Arkansas State.   

2) Nov. 24 vs. Missouri

When the Aggies took their first leap into the SEC, the conference had no problem sticking with 13 members for a little while. However, when the opportunity to snare Missouri and its top-notch TV markets of St. Louis and Kansas City presented itself, Mike Slive and the conference jumped on it.

Now, Big 12 defectors Texas A&M and Mizzou will be competing as cross-divisional rivals for the 2012 season. The Tigers have come into College Station the past two seasons due to a scheduling defect following Nebraska's move to the Big Ten with each visit resulting in an A&M loss. For the Aggies, this has to change.

Missouri big-shot QB James Franklin exploited weakness in the Aggies defense last year on a consistent basis, earning the Tigers the win in overtime. As Mizzou enters Aggieland this time around, however, A&M will have to make the final tally much different than the previous two times.

At this point, it will just be a matter of pride. Allowing a team to come into your house and take home the victory three consecutive years in a row would just be unacceptable, especially for the final matchup of the season. It will be a matter of respect and dignity among the A&M ranks.  

1) Sept. 8 vs. Florida

While this one will be, for the most part, obvious, there are a few underlying factors that contribute to this cross-divisonal rivalry in tiny, yet still noticeable, amounts.

The BIG reason this game is all about earning respect in their new home is because it is A&M's first ever SEC conference matchup. Furthermore, it is also the Aggies' first ever HOME league game. This has two implications.

First, a win over an established SEC power would bolster A&M's record and status nationally while also sending a message to the rest of the conference that the Aggies aren't there to mess around. Second, it would go to show the league just how strong Texas A&M's home crowd of the 12th Man is; many SEC fans know all about how important noise is to winning in the long run, but haven't truly seen or heard much about the one of the Aggies' most notable traditions.

On a smaller yet still important note, this game will feature Florida head coach and former Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp trying to take down the Aggies one more time. At UT, Muschamp continually put together brilliant packages to mess around with A&M offenses, making this the ultimate matchup of Sumlin's top-notch schemes versus Muschamp's shut-down coverages.

A win would garner respect like no other victory could, and it is vital A&M bring it home against the Gators.