Texas A&M Distancing Itself from '#WRTS,' so Who Really Does Run State of Texas?

Hashtags, if used effectively, are great for labeling and metadata. They allow similar messages to be grouped throughout social media.

In College Station, Texas A&M Aggies football fans love quite a few hashtags. The easy one is #Aggies. Others include #GigEm, #12thMan and one of head coach Kevin Sumlin's favorites, #YESSIR!—the unofficial bat signal for when the Aggies land a new commitment.

Texas A&M, however, is distancing itself from one particular hashtag. According to ESPN.com sports business reporter Darren Rovell, the #WRTS hashtag (short for "We Run This State") is one the program refuses to publicly recognize.

Aggies fans love the hashtag. Fans of other Texas schools love it, too—just not in favor of Texas A&M. When it comes to who really runs the state on the field and in recruiting, the title is ever-changing. 

For the average fan, it's also a matter of opinion. It can become anything from a basic office discussion at lunch to a heated discussion on a blog site—or in the average comments section of an article.

Statistically, however, the answer can be broken down in several ways.

Head-to-head competition quickly settles most chatter. Baylor beat Texas, TCU, Texas Tech and SMU last year. The Bears were 11-2 overall and were an October road loss away from being undefeated in Big 12 play.

If we're talking wins alone, you've got to give it to TCU. The Horned Frogs finished with a 12-1 record, dominated Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl and ended the season with a No. 3 ranking. Baylor could make an argument for top honors as the only team to beat the Horned Frogs, but TCU fans would counter with the Bears' season-ending loss in the Cotton Bowl to Michigan State.

If we're focused on 2015 recruiting, Texas and Texas A&M went neck and neck, but according to the 247Sports team rankings, the Longhorns edged the Aggies for a top-10 spot nationally. Texas (No. 10 in the rankings) had 29 commits, while Texas A&M (No. 11) had 25. The Aggies, however, had three 5-star commits to the Longhorns' one.

If the discussion involves 2016 recruiting, that race is ongoing. Currently, TCU is the only in-state program in the national top 10. The Horned Frogs got off to a great start and have eight commits, including five 4-star pledges.

If you want to go with the hottest team right now, you have to put Texas at the top. The Longhorns have four commits—the latest being 4-star Shane Buechele—and hope to add to their 2016 class this weekend during and after Saturday's junior day.

Fan appreciation can be a category as well, and when it comes to fan appreciation, few nationally can compare to what Texas A&M has. The Aggies drew six-figure attendance last year, and against Ole Miss in October, they set an SEC attendance record by drawing 110,633 at Kyle Field. That number is the most for a football team in Texas at any level—professional, college or high school.

And then there are Texas Tech, Houston, SMU, Rice, Texas State, North Texas, UTSA and UTEP. You don't think they have a vote in this?

So who really runs the state of Texas? Whatever the answer, it makes for a great debate. A lot of questions will be answered with the 2015 season approaching and the 2016 recruiting cycle finishing next February.

And when all is settled, the discussion will happen again around this time. Folks will prepare for next year the same way they did this year—almost like clockwork.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles.