Nov. 29, 2010
With a 6-2 conference record, No. 18-ranked Texas A&M grabbed a share of the Big 12 South Division Championship after the completion of regular season conference play.
The Aggies, winners of six straight games, shared the South Divison title with No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 14 Oklahoma State. The Sooners, however, will represent the South in the Big 12 Championship game by virtue of a higher rank in the Bowl Championship Series standings, which is the conference tiebreaker in the case of three-way ties.
Ironically, both teams in the Big 12 Championship – Oklahoma and No. 13 Nebraska – received losses on their 2010 ledgers at the hands of the Aggies. Earlier this month, A&M beat the Sooners by two touchdowns, 33-19, and the Cornhuskers, 9-6, at Kyle Field.
The Aggies' road to its 9-3 overall record came against a brutal schedule that was ranked toughest in the nation by the NCAA. A&M's cumulative opposition posted a 69.0 winning percentage for the 2010 regular season, with the head-to-head games with the Aggies tossed out. Eight of the Aggies' 11 FCS opponents are bowl eligible, and A&M posted a 5-3 record against those teams. The Aggies also posted a sweep of the Texas schools in the Big 12 Conference for the first time ever.
The Aggies' tri-championship was their third overall Big 12 South Division title, and its first since 1998. The Aggies won the South in 1997, 1998 and 2010. It was Texas A&M's 20th conference or division crown in its football history.
It was Mike Sherman's first conference title as a collegiate head coach, after winning three NFC North titles (2002, 2003, 2004) as the Executive Vice President/General Manager/Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers. Sherman also served as offensive line coach on three Texas A&M squads that won Southwest Conference crowns (1991, 1992, 1993).