New analysis reveals stunning lack of favored judgment calls for Texas A&M last season
Texas A&M's massive fan base can agree on one thing over the past decade-plus: the refs have not been kind to the Aggies on the gridiron, both at home and on the road. While this has been the case for nearly every Power Four college football program, the Aggies' 2024 season, which ended at 8-5, included a host of referee calls that led to momentum changes for the other team, including consequential losses to South Carolina and Auburn.
It's always a slippery slope when debating the refs at any level, knowing that the outcome of each game can't be changed if a bad call is initiated, which has sadly been the case more often than not in college, and especially the NFL. Through 13 games and hundreds of snaps, noted analytics guru Dave Bartoo, co-founder of Matrix Analytical, took a deep dive into the numbers during the 2024 season regarding ref calls at home and on the road.
For Texas A&M in Kyle Field, where the Aggies won all but two games (Notre Dame, Texas) last season, Bartoo found that the Aggies endured a staggering -14 judgment calls, which was the lowest in the country, and as Bartoo points out, every defensive judgment call adds over three EPA (expected points added), which equals 42 expected points for every opponents. Texas A&M lost by ten points against Notre Dame and Texas, so do with that as you will.
On the road, where the Aggies only lost to South Carolina and Auburn, it was equally bad, as Texas A&M was No. 1 in net judgment calls going against the program as a road favorite, which was the case against the Gamecocks and Tigers.
However, Texas A&M's defense was poor in both games, losing in blowout fashion after tying the game at 20 against South Carolina. At the same time, Auburn built a 21-0 lead before the Aggies stormed back, only to lose in quadruple overtime. Still, these numbers are pretty shocking, but I highly doubt that bias among referees exists, especially in the SEC, where nearly every team is on equal footing, even Vanderbilt.
With just weeks before the Aggies take the field against UTSA on Saturday, August 30, worrying about the refs should be, and will be, the last thing on their minds, focused on setting the tone early in the year before facing Notre Dame on the road in Week 3.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
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