STUDENTS FIRST NOT POLITICIANS
EDITORIAL: If campus-wide support for former President Mark A. Welsh III wasn’t enough for Texas A&M Board of Regents, Texas’ politicians, what are they looking for?
By The Battalion Editorial Board
Walking down the steps of the Administration Building as he looked onto a sea of support, a president descended step by step — Gig ‘em sign held high — as he exited his office one last time. Former Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III smiled at his Aggie family as his wife cried silent tears — all stemming from a leaked video.
The secretly recorded video depicting a discussion of gender identity in a children’s literature course found its way into the hands of Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison (R-10).
Harrison posted the confrontation on social media, quickly igniting a firestorm that ultimately ended Welsh’s tenure and resulted in the removal of three faculty members from their positions.
Despite Welsh’s resignation, anyone who attended Welsh’s farewell at the Administration Building last Friday — including students and faculty who sent letters backing Welsh — can attest to the support he had among the Aggie community.
Since his resignation, a wealth of stories have emerged from every corner of campus regarding his presidency.
Perhaps no story is more poignant than his attendance of the November 2024 edition of Silver Taps on Election Night. Welsh prioritized us over political interests — and in the end, it cost him his job.
We, along with the rest of campus, are left to ask ourselves: What kind of System is the Board of Regents running where the opinions of politicians seemingly matter more
than those of students and faculty?
If Welsh’s broad and popular support across campus wasn’t enough to keep him in power, then what are the Regents looking for?
With the university on its fifth president since 2020, it’s a question that needs answering.
We stand behind Welsh’s efforts to shield the university from the maelstrom of state politics.
We unequivocally condemn the pressure put on Welsh such that he felt resigning was the best solution to preserve the future of A&M.
We also condemn the student who decided to secretly record the lecture and leak it to Harrison — by Harrison’s own admission.
Harrison is a provocateur who had an explicit goal of forcing Welsh out of office before his resignation; he also publicly claimed credit for forcing Welsh’s resignation.
In May, Welsh sent Harrison a letter in which he stated the representative’s claims about A&M’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies were “routinely inaccurate and misleading.”
As for the Regents — the individuals entrusted with the welfare of 12 universities and over 170,000 students — they insist that they did not fold to outside political pressure.
“We have one individual who I would call a moron, who is an absolute classified megalomaniac, who is insatiable with his desire to feed his ego,” Chairman of the Board of Regents Robert Albritton said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle and Texas
Tribune after the Regents met last Friday.
“And do people like that solve problems? They don’t give you solutions other than ‘Fire this, do this, do that.’ … And I will say one wonderful thing about the Board is that we don’t listen to that.”
If the Board didn’t listen to politicians, then who did they listen to? People like Harrison seem to be doing most of the celebrating, and the Regents haven’t come out to claim that it was their decision, either.
Harrison was not the only lawmaker who questioned Welsh’s leadership. On Sept. 11, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called for Chancellor Glenn Hegar and the Regents to evaluate Welsh’s leadership.
Additionally, in January, Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to fire Welsh over a sponsored trip to a recruitment conference focused on underrepresented students.
The governor has no power to fire Welsh, but the Regents — who are handpicked by Abbott — do.
Also calling for Welsh’s ouster was Michael Quinn Sullivan, the publisher of Texas Scorecard, a right-wing publication that has prompted the Regents to act in the past, as we confirmed with our prior reporting.
If the Regents have made decisions based on what Sullivan and Scorecard have posted about in the past, what makes this case different?
Albritton claims the Board is acting independently. However, that hasn’t always been the case.
“Yeah, Texas Scorecard,” Albritton told the Texas Tribune and Houston Chronicle.
“I mean, not really sure exactly what their motive is on these issues, because A&M is doing everything they can to solve their own problems, not like we need a whole lot of help, you know, solving them.”
Last year, A&M passed a state audit confirming its compliance with Senate Bill 17 which effectively banned DEI initiatives at public universities in Texas.
Nonetheless, the bill’s ban on these initiatives does not extend to in-classroom instruction, meaning it’s unclear what law professor Melissa McCoul may have violated.
When questioned by the Houston Chronicle and Texas Tribune, Albritton said that McCoul broke a law, but could not specify which.
Albritton went on to say that details of the class were “not my purview, and it’s not my background,” and that “what my background is, is protecting the System.”
Regardless, we demand answers from Albritton and the Regents.
What exactly are you protecting the System from? What do you want in an A&M president that Welsh did not offer?
If you are protecting the students and faculty of the A&M System from outside influence, you’re doing a poor job because they seem to have gotten exactly what they wanted.
All we can hope for is that our next president can protect us from you.
This editorial was approved by The Battalion’s editorial staff and serves as the official opinion of the publication.
Photo by Alex Garza THE BATTALION
hugs. One of his rst greetings was with Student Body President Carter Mallory and Student Body Vice President Kathleen Parks.
By Ethan Rhame News Reporter
Former Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III departed from the Administration Building at 11:55 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 19 for the last time as president with his wife, Betty Welsh, after the Texas A&M University System announced his resignation on Thursday.
Hundreds of students and community members fought the noon heat to greet Welsh with cheers and applause as he passed through the front door and descended the steps alongside his wife.
A&M’s mascot, Reveille X, was also present, barking multiple times prior to Welsh’s departure, inciting cheers, applause and anticipation from the crowd.
Many students bannered supportive signs with slogans such as “American Hero and Our Hero,” “Forever my president,” “Best prez since Rudder” and “Thank you for your service.”
Welsh took his time to thank students on his march through the grounds, shaking hands and exchanging heartfelt words and
“Regardless of opinion on the matter, whether or not his actions were justi ed … we can praise character, and hopefully that’s what we get to do here is honor him on his way out,” Mallory said. “He’s been personally encouraging. Every meeting I’ve had with him has been in support of student desires … it’s been met with immediate action from his sta and himself.”
Mallory shared a personal anecdote of when Welsh showed up for Bon re Remembrance simply as a member of the crowd without drawing attention to himself, further characterizing his leadership style as one of Sel ess Service.
Sel ess, humble and steadfast were all words used by students and faculty at his departure to describe the former president’s leadership.
More than just students and sta came to express their support. Air Force veteran and former student David Lilly spoke highly of Welsh’s character, having served under Welsh’s leadership in the military and attended the Bush School during Welsh’s tenure as the school’s dean.
“He was a superlative leader … and set the example of what a leader is supposed to be,” Lilly said.
Welsh walked through the encouraging
crowd for nine minutes, greeting supporters and nally joining in an impromptu performance of “The Spirit of Aggieland” with the crowd before entering his vehicle and o cially departing the parking lot at 12:04 p.m.
Welsh addressed the university prior to his depature through a nal email titled “Thank you and Gig ‘em.”
“I’ve told people that serving as President of this great university for even a minute is an incredible privilege,” Welsh wrote in the email. “Doing it for two years has been a remarkable gift.”
Welsh thanked faculty and sta in his email, particularly former Chancellor John Sharp and Chancellor Glenn Hegar, and the Board of Regents. He also addressed the student body, expressing gratitude for the virtuous character of the 12th Man.
“And a special thanks to our unbelievable students,” Welsh wrote. “You make this university whole. You give it a pulse. You bring it light. Thank you for constantly reminding me that living our Core Values lays the foundation for a life of value.Thanks for showing me that respecting others is the front door to a respected life. Thanks for teaching me that the Aggie Honor Code is simply a calling to a life of honor.”
Welsh nished his email with a letter of appreciation to the university itself.
“Most importantly, thanks to Texas A&M University,” Welsh wrote. “I will always see
you as a shining city on a hill … a place where history, tradition, pride, legacy and belief in something bigger than yourself swirl around you as you walk the campus. You have always inspired me … and I’m gonna miss you.”
In a news release from the A&M System, Hegar thanked Welsh for his service, but also encouraged a change in leadership.
“President Welsh is a man of honor who has led Texas A&M with sel ess dedication,” Hegar said. “We are grateful for his service and contributions. At the same time, we agree that now is the right moment to make a change and to position Texas A&M for continued excellence in the years ahead.”
In the same news release, Chairman of the Board of Regents Robert Albritton spoke brie y about the o ce’s future.
“General Welsh’s legacy of leadership and service is one that the Aggie family will always remember,” Albritton said. “The Board of Regents is united in ensuring that this transition strengthens the university’s future and keeps Texas A&M true to its mission and values.”
After two years of loyal, dedicated service to A&M, Welsh’s tenure as president has o cially come to an end.
The Board of Regents will soon appoint an interim president to ll the o ce’s vacancy and begin a national search for a new permanent president of the
A&M students protest for academic freedom
Demonstrators say former President Welsh’s resignation, along with faculty removals, raise concerns about growing political pressure on university leadership, higher education
By Hilani Quinones Associate News Editor
Students and faculty at Texas A&M protested on Sept. 22 at Academic Plaza at 6 p.m. in response to the resignation of former President Mark A. Welsh III, ring of professor Melissa McCoul and removal of Dean Mark Zoran of the College of Arts & Sciences and English department head of Emily Johansen from their positions.
A&M student organization Texas Aggie Democrats was joined by Texas Rising, Secular Student Alliance, the Queer Empowerment Council and MOVE Texas in organizing the protest.
History and political science senior and Texas Aggie Democrats President Zach Spanhak delivered a speech, followed by civil engineering junior and MOVE Texas Vice President Robert Day, computer science graduate student and Secular Student Alliance o cer Max Smith, Professor Leonard Bright, Ph.D. and former associate professor of anthropology Michael Alvard, Ph.D. Alvard said in his speech that academic freedom has been under attack at A&M for years, and the attack on McCoul was only the latest of a long list of violations.
“Students and faculty need to work together to stop the damage before it’s too late,” Alvard said.
As a representative of A&M’s chapter of American Association of University Professors, or AAUP, Bright said he saw the protest as a time to encourage students who are supporting faculty.
“We want to be a counter to this idea that our faculty are somehow doing the wrong things in the classrooms,” Bright said. “We want to voice our opposition to that and be present in our community to say, ‘Look, we’re not hiding anything. Here’s what we do and why what we do is very important.’” Bright said he hopes to see A&M leadership show a renewed commitment to academic freedom, recommitting to values in their bylaws and putting in policies that support academic freedom.
“We want to put an end to this kind of intrusion in our classrooms,” Bright said. Spanhak explained that he, along with other demonstrators, wanted to show they will not stand for attacks on academic freedom.
“I hope this movement continues to grow not just at A&M, but around the country,” Spanhak said. “This is the thing we’re seeing around the nation, di erent schools. You know, being criticized for what their students are doing in their free time or what their teachers are teaching, that sort of thing.”
He hopes that their demands are heard and will continue to work, however they can, and that the Board of Regents and people in government will recognize concerns and make the changes they want to see.
Spanhak said A&M has had steady growth as a top research institution not just in Texas, but nationally, and recent concerns over academic freedom hurt the university’s standing.
“When academic freedom is under attack, when people are concerned about if what they’re researching is going to get censored or even if they’re going to have funding for their research taken away, something like that, then they’re not going to want to come to Texas A&M,” Spanhak said. “We’re protecting our reputation as an elite research institution as well.”
Spanhak also expressed concern that political pressure could change the culture and pride at A&M.
“I hope [the Board of Regents] have seen the turnout today,” Spanhak said. “I hope that they’ve seen the numbers that we got on social media, the support that people showed that way. And I’m hopeful they at least take it into account.”
Welsh was loved by both the student body and faculty, Spanhak said, and as such he hopes that the Board of Regents implement a transparent selection process for the A&M residence.
“I’d also like to see them, you know, reinstate those professors and those administrators who were unjustly removed and at least give them the due process of going through that process,” Spanhak said. “I can only hope that they will listen to that and the ball’s in their court now.”
Day said when others dictate what can and cannot be said, it leads students to fear and creates fear of the other.
“If you’re afraid to have your beliefs shaken or changed, then why are you at university in the rst place?” Day said this protest is ultimately about students having a voice in education.
“This is also about creating a place for students to get motivated,” Day said. “To know that their voices have power, and when they start to think for themselves … not something else somebody tells them what to think.”
Jenna Isbell — THE BATTALION
Ashely Bautista — THE BATTALION
Ashely Bautista — THE BATTALION
Ashely Bautista — THE BATTALION
Steve Carrasco IV — THE BATTALION
By Wyatt Pickering Opinon Writer
The more time I spend at Texas A&M, it’s apparent that the only person left on campus who has free speech is the statue of a dead Confederate general we put pennies on.
Professor Melissa McCoul has been red, and former President Mark A. Welsh III has stepped down in the aftermath of the past two weeks. This occurred after a video of a confrontation over gender identity in McCoul’s summer session children’s literature course was leaked by Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison (R-10) on X, gaining national attention.
Additionally, Dean of College of Arts & Sciences Mark Zoran and English department head Emily Johansen were removed from their administrative duties for allowing course materials that are “inconsistent” with university values to be taught.
This is a clear overstep by Texas lawmakers and o cials to control what students are learning in classrooms and an example of weak leadership from A&M’s
Opinion: Keep politicians out of our classes
Board of Regents.
If you take a look at the course syllabus from ENGL 360 this summer, the description states that the course encourages students to think critically about children’s literature, how the genre has changed over time and how these important issues are addressed in today’s society; this class was designed around discussing race, gender and sexuality, approaching these issues with its age group and examining how this type of literature has evolved over the years.
According to Texas Senate Bill 17 and the guidance provided to professors by A&M to approach diversity, equity and inclusion in the classroom, McCoul was well within her rights to teach these lessons.
If you don’t want to take this class or disagree with the course materials, that is a personal opinion that shouldn’t a ect who teaches the course.
Welsh’s choice to re McCoul was weakminded and did not have the interest of A&M students or faculty in mind. However, he would have been forced to step down sooner rather than later anyway, no matter the choice made.
Welsh recently came under re for A&M’s planned attendance at a conference held by The PhD Project. This conference was referred to as a “DEI” conference by critics, and Welsh was told he would be red if A&M were to attend by Gov. Greg Abbott on X.
Since then, people like Harrison — who has nothing better to do with his time other
than complain on X — have been biding their time for a moment like this.
This was a calculated move by top Texas leadership to remove Welsh from his position and continue to undermine educational freedom in our classrooms.
All members of the Board of Regents are appointed by the Texas governor and con rmed by the Texas Senate. If the state government dislikes Welsh, why would the Board of Regents tolerate him, too?
The real question we should all be asking is why lawmakers such as Harrison and even the governor of the state of Texas care so much about this class and A&M’s “woke DEI” agenda?
The answer is that the Texas state government is unable to x actual issues that Texans are facing, so it instead directs its attention to groups of people who are easily vili ed and turned into imaginary boogeymen to whom all of society’s problems can be placed.
The DEI witch hunt that is being perpetuated by our state government is modern-day McCarthyism. It is not protecting academic freedom and makes students and professors alike reluctant to attend universities like A&M, where these values are not respected.
As students, we are often told to be leaders of character even when our values are tested. At A&M, we have our set of Core Values, RELLIS, which act as a guide during times of adversity. It’s apparent to me that A&M’s Core Values have been thrown
out the window in place of ring people who challenge our worldview and disagree with leadership.
If the leaders in charge won’t respect the values that make A&M an amazing place to attend, why should we bother with following through with them as well?
Firing a professor who said that transgender people exist isn’t going to lower the cost of groceries, but if our state government can say that higher education makes students hate America, then it can hold your attention.
And this isn’t just a problem here at A&M. A Texas State professor was recently red for discussing his personal political views at a conference. This is not an isolated incident, and we are going to see more Texas professors being persecuted for their academic beliefs.
We as students have to be doing more than sending weakly written letters by our elected Student Government Association o cials to call for Respect and unity, while our decision makers harm our ability to learn.
Remember this: When the Texas state government says “Jump!” the A&M Board of Regents asks “How high?” Our education system is being destroyed by the people who appoint A&M’s
Jenna Isbell
BATTALION
Ashely Bautista — THE BATTALION
Ashely Bautista — THE BATTALION
Ashely Bautista — THE BATTALION Steve Carrasco
File photo by Kyle Heise
ENTERTAINMENT
A&M opens SEC play against Auburn
Reveille sounds, War Eagle calls: No. 9 Aggies host Tigers to kick off three-game homestand at Kyle Field
By Noah Ruiz Senior Sports Writer
Prepare yourselves, folks: The war for the Southeastern Conference is just beginning. Coming o a bye week after a monumental victory over then-No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 9 Texas A&M football begins its SEC homestand with an afternoon skirmish against the gritty Auburn Tigers.
The relaxation for the Aggies this past weekend was a well earned rest, as coach Mike Elko’s squad has been unrelenting on o ense since their season opener against UTSA. Three straight 40-plus-point victories have jumpstarted the Maroon and White to a stellar start to their year, something they hope to keep going against the Tigers.
Auburn, however, will aim to bounce back after dropping its rst contest of the season in a close battle with then-No. 11 Oklahoma. The Sooners rattled their former signal caller, junior quarterback Jackson Arnold, by sacking him a whopping nine times, giving the Aggies the green light to focus on rushing the passer.
That’s not to say that Arnold isn’t a threat on the ground, as the Denton native embarrassed Baylor during Auburn’s season opener in Waco as he rushed for a career-best 137 yards.
However, graduate defensive tackle Albert Regis is coming o an electric seven-tackle, one-sack performance against Notre Dame and will be hungry to knock Arnold o his rocker.
As for A&M, few pass-catching duos come close to the production level of sophomore and junior wide receivers Mario Craver and KC Concepcion — two players who have made a Texas-sized impact in their rst year in the fabled maroon-and white-threads.
Craver has become the envy of all deep threats in the country, averaging an as-
tounding 147.7 receiving yards per game while hauling in two 70-plus yard touchdowns. The true sophomore joined A&M from Mississippi State and is on pace to have more yards in his rst four games than the Aggies leading receiver, Noah Thomas, had in all of 2024.
His counterpart, Concepcion, has made his case for co-WR1 with a terri c 227 receiving yards on just 13 catches, as well as snagging a trio of touchdown passes. His not-so-secret weapon is tremendous speed, something UTSA learned the hard way when the NC State transfer took a punt 80 yards to the house.
The A&M wide receiver corps is even more intimidating when adding sophomore WR Terry Bussey to the mix, but Elko’s defense will have to beware of Auburn’s game-changing sophomore WR Cam Coleman. The once-Aggie commit has been Arnold’s favorite target this season, barely topping Concepcion’s receiving stats with 237 yards o 13 catches and two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Tigers have allowed a fantastic 14.8 points per game, including
holding the Sooners’ booming o ense to just 24 points. The defensive line is packed with talent, as senior defensive end Keyron Crawford has done it all for his unit with three sacks, a forced fumble and an interception.
A daunting adversary, yes, but redshirt sophomore QB Marcel Reed has proven to critics that he is more than capable of sending defenders into the ground on foot or making them pay with his arm, tallying 10 touchdowns.
Any doubts about his ability to sling the rock died with the Fighting Irish’s chances of victory: He capped o a 360-yard passing night with a game-winning touchdown on fourth down to graduate tight end Nate Boerkircher. Despite falling out of the Top 25 this past weekend, the Tigers have proven themselves against SEC competition. The Maroon and White will have to keep their foot on the gas and overwhelm their opponents early to seize victory. The race to the College
ball Playo begins in conference
and it’s time A&M stakes its claim
Players to watch as No. 9 Aggies face Tigers
Moving into Southeastern Conference play, eyes are set on these impactful players
By Ava Loth Sports Writer
As Southeastern Conference play is commencing, No. 9 Texas A&M football will return to Kyle Field to face Auburn on Saturday, Sept. 27.
In the long-anticipated matchup following a bye week, the undefeated Aggies will be seeking redemption after their upsetting 43-41, four-overtime loss to the Tigers last season — a squad that went on to have a season record of 5-7.
Mario Craver, sophomore wide receiver, Texas A&M
Since transferring to A&M this season from Mississippi State, sophomore wide receiver Mario Craver has already made his mark for the Aggies. In A&M’s Week 3 win over Notre Dame, Craver notched 207 receiving yards on seven catches. Not only did the Alabama native record a career high, but he also became the eighth player in Aggie history to deliver a 200-yard receiving game.
Already surpassing his 2024 stat line for the Bulldogs, Craver has totaled an SECleading 443 receiving yards on 20 catches.
Albert Regis, graduate defensive tackle, Texas A&M
Breaking through for the Aggies defense, graduate defensive tackle Albert Regis has tallied 15 tackles, including nine solo take downs, and a single sack on the season. Heading into the bye week, he ranked No. 2 in defensive tackles across the SEC. Regis earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors on Sept. 15 after the Aggies’ statement win on the road against Notre Dame, where he had a career-high seven total tackles, ve solo stops and his rst sack of the season.
Randy Bond, graduate kicker, Texas A&M
After scoring the game-winning extra point in the nail biter against Notre Dame, graduate kicker Randy Bond now boasts 12 career games with 10-plus points. The game-deciding point marked his 124th straight successful point-after attempt and set an A&M record. Bond’s 11 points against Notre Dame put the Maroon and White ahead, helping to secure the 41-40 win.
As A&M enters conference play, tighter games can be expected, where Bond’s special
teams e ciency — along with accuracy in high-pressure moments — could make the di erence.
Cam Coleman, sophomore wide receiver, Auburn
Despite the road loss to No. 7 Oklahoma, sophomore WR Cam Coleman still managed to put up solid numbers for the Tigers. Coleman reeled in three receptions for 88 yards while also putting the rst touchdown on the board for Auburn and leading the Tiger receivers in yardage.
During his rookie season, he recorded seven receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns against the Aggies, which ultimately handed the lead to the Tigers early in the upset.
Jeremiah Cobb, junior running back, Auburn
Jeremiah Cobb’s game against the Sooners marked his lowest performance of the season so far, nishing the game with just 61 rushing yards. However, he has shown to be a dynamic rushing threat, with a total of 314 yards on the ground in his previous three games.
His ability to take the pressure o his quarterback is a key factor in Auburn’s o ense and will surely ip the script right back to A&M’s defensive line.
Jackson Arnold, junior quarterback, Auburn
Since transferring from Oklahoma following the 2024 season, junior quarterback Jackson Arnold has started in all four games for Auburn. He has recorded ve passing and four rushing touchdowns, proving he can be seen as a dual-threat weapon.
Without an interception on the season, Arnold has demonstrated his ball security and unwillingness to make mistakes.
After a rough stretch found Arnold on the bench for Oklahoma last year, he has managed to complete a turn around for Auburn and — so far — become a reliable starter.
Keyron Crawford, senior defensive end, Auburn
Leading Auburn’s D-line, senior defensive end Keyron Crawford had a stellar start in their season opener against Baylor. He had seven tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble in their 38-24 win against the Bears.
He has continued to put up disruptive numbers, including 18 tackles in the rst four games, stampeding in to position himself as the Tigers’ most dangerous pass rusher.
Tale of when Bo Jackson met Wrecking Crew
The story of A&M vs. Auburn began decades ago, when a Heisman winner met his match in Dallas at the 50th annual Cotton Bowl Classic in 1986
By Noah Ruiz Senior Sports Writer
The Scene
Picture it: Jan. 1, 1986 — the Wrecking Crew days.The cool breeze and light winter sun kiss the Dallas skyline on a soft holiday afternoon. It’s been an eventful day already. You met your sweetheart at midnight under the Century Tree to ring in the new year, and now, your nearly three-hour trip from College Station has paid o ; it’s time to watch the Aggies play in the 50th Cotton Bowl Classic. The foe that awaits? None other than the Auburn Tigers, the rst time A&M will have faced the Southeastern Conference opponents in almost a century of football. Auburn is used to making history, as the Tigers have just written one of their own into the record books: running back Bo Jackson. “We’re doomed,” your Corps
buddy whispers. Their fear is justi ed, you think to yourself. Bo’s hitting home runs and scoring touchdowns while you’re sitting in the brand-new James J. Cain ‘51 Building, reading about it in the newspaper. How will A&M coach Jackie Sherrill take care of business? Will this year’s 1985 Southwest Conference title be squandered? Hang in there, kid, it’s time to nd out!
The Act
The 1986 Cotton Bowl was the rst meeting between A&M and Auburn, as the former was riding a ve-game win streak and SWC Championship title into a showdown with the latter’s 8-3 record. Jackson kept the national spotlight on the Tigers, becoming the rst and only Auburn running back to rush for 4,000 yards in a career.
His senior year was the icing on the orange and blue cake, especially in the Cotton Bowl. The A&M defense, which had yielded an average of just 281.9 yards per game, surrendered 202 total yards to Jackson alone.
Naturally, the Tigers leaned heavily on their Heisman winner to thwart the Wrecking Crew’s reign of terror. Four lead changes in the rst two quarters settled the score at 12-7 in A&M’s favor. That is, until
Jackson used his magic to turn a screen pass into a 73-yard score for the Auburn lead, 13-12.
The media attention was warranted, but with the Aggie defense at the ready, not even the 1985 Heisman winner got the best of defensive coordinator R.C. Slocum’s unit. A&M faced ve Heisman winners between 1986 and 1991 and defeated all but one, starting with Jackson.
After a masterful day from quarterback Kevin Murray, A&M required a goal-line stand to maintain a slim 21-16 advantage. Jackson knocked three times on the Aggie doorstep just to be denied until a decisive fourth down. Con dent in their running back, the Tigers elected to turn to the run one last time to take back the lead.
When the fourth-down try was over, the crowd cheered for Jackson’s heroics — Aggie freshman linebacker Basil Jackson, that is. Auburn charged at the goal line, only to be met with Jackson and his closest 10 friends, losing a yard and perhaps the game for the Tigers.
“Jackson, 34, he won’t get it! Larry Kelm, 65, led the defenders in, and they stu the Heisman Trophy winner,” CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger said.
Postgame, A&M’s Jackson had his chance to speak, saying calmly and coolly, “Jackson stopping Jackson, that’s a great thrill.”
The Maroon and White were called up to
replicate their end zone bravery once again on fourth down, and once again prevailed against the touted Jackson. He had fought a hard battle, but the war of that day belonged to the Aggies, 36-16. Murray managed to put up a thenrecord 292-yard day on the Tigers’ defense. Meanwhile, safety Domingo Bryant used a two-interception e ort to curb an Auburn comeback attempt while earning MVP honors.
The Finale
The cheers of the Aggie faithful in the crowd of 73,137 jolt you back into reality.
“We did it,” your buddies shout. The 48-degree weather is nothing compared to the warmth in your heart from victory. This is something I’ll tell my kids one day, you think to yourself. You smile, watching the Heisman Trophy winner tip his cap to your Aggies; a humble legend in the game of football.
“They just wanted it more than us,” you remember Jackson saying postgame. Time to drive back home to that sweetheart of yours, but little did you know that it’ll be 26 years until you meet these Tigers again. Only that time, your Maroon and White will have their own Heisman hopeful — one that Auburn would have no answer to.
Top to bottom: Graduate kicker Randy Bond (47) during Texas A&M’s 2025 Maroon & White Game at Kyle Field on Saturday, April 19, 2025. Graduate defensive tackle Albert Regis (17) reacts during Texas A&M’s game against Utah State at Kyle Field on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.
Left to right: Texas A&M defense stops Auburn running back Bo Jackson (34) before the goal line during the 50th Cotton Bowl Classic on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 1986. Texas A&M defense tackles Auburn running back Bo Jackson (34) during the 50th Cotton Bowl Classic on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 1986.
Photos courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics
By Matthew Seaver Associate Sports Editor
At the conclusion of every week of college football, fans around the country check the Associated Press Top 25 Poll to every week we are disappointed by the
The AP Poll was rst created in 1936,
The original list was created from a combined ranking of the top 20 teams every single game. Without the internet or
Here’s the problem: It’s not 1936 anyAll
Opinion: AP Poll is useless, outdated
football fan. Except the AP Poll didn’t matter long before the rst CFP in 2014. From 1936 to 1998, it was widely accepted that whichever team the AP ranked No. 1 after the conclusion of the bowl games was the national champion. This led to several controversies and disagreements, even once having the voters’ hands tied by President Richard Nixon after he pre-
maturely labeled Texas the champions despite Penn State also holding an undefeated record and stacked resume.
ever, the AP Poll’s tenure in the BCS equation was by no means perfect, with a number of ascos capped o by the 2004 National Championship, where No. 2 LSU and No. 3 Oklahoma leapfrogged consensus No. 1 USC. The AP voters were so embarrassed by their opinion being mistreated that they asked to be removed from the consideration process.
Then, in 1999, the Bowl Championship Subdivision National Championship, or BCS, was born. It used several di erent lists, equations and computer calculations — things that the typical sports writer knows nothing about — to determine which two teams should compete for that year’s championship. This formation saw the AP Poll shoved aside, now just another cog in the BCS machine. How-
ers themselves. They aren’t made up of a magical group of football wizards; instead, they’re just a randomly selected group of experienced beat writers.
Looking at the changes from week to week makes it very apparent that a majority of these voters just read box scores and rely extremely heavily on preseason rankings. That’s how a 1-2 Notre Dame team can remain in the Top 25, despite having two losses and giving up 30 points to a pitiful Purdue team, or how Illinois can lose by 53 to Indiana and still be ranked. The voters don’t know ball, in fact most of them probably can’t remember what they had for
Think about that, the journalists asked to be ignored. Truly ba ing. Since then, the AP Poll hasn’t actually meant anything to devotees of college foot- ball. Additionally, the CFP committee waits for the season to be well underway before releasing its rst rankings. This ultimately reduces the AP Poll to complete background noise; the college football equivalent of cle’s Facebook updates — fun to look at but vant. Moreover, a great deal of the problems with the actual poll rankings result from the votlunch yesterday. ranking.
The poll itself has become extremely outdated — a formerly prestigious list that crowned the dynasties of college football now reduced to irrelevancy. Corporations love the list because it gives them a chance to hype up games that wouldn’t mean anything otherwise, putting shiny numbers on graphics. Meanwhile, fans love the poll because it gives them the chance to argue with each other about their favorite team’s
Unfortunately for both, the reality is that the AP Poll doesn’t determine a national champion, decide playo spots, bowl games or even move betting lines. It’s just a pointless Christmas ornament to give teams a meaningless ranking and make each program seem more important than it really is.
Time has passed the AP Poll by, and college football has moved on from relying on journalists to give teams numbers that demonstrate their pro ciency.The AP Poll’s fate should follow that of the dodo bird, and it’s time we stop pretending otherwise.
Matthew Seaver is a communication senior and associate sports editor for
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