Two young quarterbacks and two coaches prepare for two significant road tests

Can the Longhorns and Aggies survive steps up in difficulty on Saturday?

Last week was a lot of fun in college football, but this Saturday is the one I attempted to rope off so that the couch would be occupied by 2:30pm.

Just look at this beautiful agenda:

• Texas A&M (-4.5) at Miami, 2:30 on ABC

• Texas at Alabama (-7), 6:00 on ESPN

This is what we have been waiting to see. With all due respect to New Mexico and Rice, this is the first test of 2023 to see if 2022 can be forgotten.

It may not be easy, but if I can figure it out, I plan, by lunch on Sunday, for you to have Three Thoughts reviews of each of these games. These two programs are absurdly interesting to me right now, and I cannot wait to see these games.

So, let’s talk about them.

For me, we simplify football conversations too often to primarily pushing narratives about coaches and quarterbacks. This game is so complicated and dependent on dozens of men working together to solve problems in real time with loud noises, health losses, and pure chaos all around them.

One missed block or tipped pass or wind-effected kick can determine games. Games determine seasons. And seasons determine careers. It is beautiful and maddening. Certain men get all of the praise and riches or blame and derision, but too often it misses the true reasons of victory and defeat.

That is all well and good, but let’s be honest. When talking about the present tenses of the Aggies and Longhorns and the fact that they are surely about to be SEC bunkmates with annual meetings on the field, and not just recruiting derbies off of it, it does seem like coach and QB are appropriate.

Let’s over-simplify how we are where we are, shall we?

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