After an open date last week, Texas A&M plays its first big game of the season. At 5-0 the Aggies have won three important games against Arizona State, Arkansas and Mississippi State, but those three opponents aren't comparable to Alabama (5-1) as a recognized college football powerhouse. The game earns the SEC afternoon showcase spot at 2:30 on CBS. Bama is a four-point favorite as the visiting team, and College Football News predicts they'll cover the spread with a 27-20 win. Bleacher Report, on the other hand, picks the Aggies to pull off the upset win 29-25.
The other SEC games on TV:
South Carolina (2-4) at Vanderbilt (2-3) at 3:00 on the SEC Network. My only interest in this game is that both teams are on A&M's schedule later this season. The Gamecocks are favored by a FG, and CFN thinks they'll win 23-17. Bleacher Report sees it 27-20. UPDATE: South Carolina won a shootout 19-10.
Missouri (4-2) vs Georgia (4-2) at 6:30 on SEC. I've hated Missouri since the Big 12 days, and I'd love to see them get smeared in this game. Georgia is favored by 16 points, and CFN calls it a 27-13 Bulldog victory. Bleacher Report predicts an even bigger Georgia win (34-17). UPDATE: Another shootout, won by Georgia 9-6.
Florida (6-0) at LSU (5-0) at 6:00 on ESPN. The only SEC game matching unbeaten teams sees LSU as a 7.5 point favorite. CFN thinks Florida will spring an upset (23-20). I'd be happy with that outcome. Bleacher Report says LSU wins 26-14. UPDATE: Tennessee put up a struggle, but LSU still won 35-28 (with a fake FG attempt that went for a TD).
In the Big 12, Oklahoma (4-1) visits Kansas State (3-2) as a 4-point favorite. After the sooners lost to the stronghorns last week, I hope KSU steamrolls them. Since the game is on ABC while A&M is playing on CBS, I won't be around to see it if it happens. Bleacher Reports says KSU 31 Oklahoma 27. UPDATE: The sooners steamrolled KSU in 55-0 bloodbath.
Update 3:32 PM Saturday: Alabama leads 14-3 at the end of the first quarter and shuld make it 21-3 on the first play of the 2nd quarter. The Tide scored a TD on an interception return, and made it 14-0 with a long run. The Aggies are looking like a team that's ready to get beat by 50 points. No offense, no defense, getting outplayed and outcoached. Unless something incredible happens, Texas A&M may be humiliated by Alabama in consecutive seasons.
Update 4:06 PM Saturday: Alabama just returned Allen's second intercepted pass 93 yards for a touchdown and a 28-6 lead. Alabama has two TDs on interception returns, and A&M has two long (over 50 yard) field goals. This one is over, and now I just hope the Aggies can keep the loss respectable.
Update 4:31 PM Saturday: Kirk returned a punt for a TD and the score is 28-13 at the half. Special teams have contributed all of A&M's points. The defense has held Alabama to 14 points, but Kyle Allen's turnovers have been killers. Alabama doesn't look like a team that will squander a 15 point lead in the second half.
Update 5:36 PM Saturday: Alabama leads 31-20 at the end of the 3rd quarter, and Kyler Murray has just heaved his first interception of the game (the third intercepted pass, but the first one not returned for a TD). Texas A&M had a chance to win this game if they had played perfectly on offense and defense, but that was too much to expect. If Bama punches the ball in now, that'll be 21 points off Aggie turnovers.
Update 5:47 PM: Alabama got a FG out of the third INT, leads 34-20 with 11:37 left in the game. The defense has not been flawless, but is much better than the offense today. This looks like football as A&M played it when Slocum was the head coach.
Update 6:08 PM: With less than six minutes remaining, and Kyle Allen's third interception returned for a touchdown, Alabama is ahead 41-23. Aggie quarterbacks threw four INTs, and Bama turned them into 24 points. They didn't need that much help to win this game, just to make it a blowout.
Update 6:48 PM: Ole Miss lost to Memphis today (37-24). Ole Miss beat Alabama the way Alabama beat A&M (taking advantage of multiple turnovers). The loss to Memphis makes Ole Miss look beatable if A&M can get their problems sorted out before next weekend. A win at Oxford could conceivably set A&M up for another winning streak (Ole Miss, South Carolina, Auburn, Western Carolina, and Vanderbilt). If that streak materializes, this ass-whipping won't be so hard to stomach in retrospect. The good news is that none of the next five opponents are Alabama.
The other SEC games on TV:
South Carolina (2-4) at Vanderbilt (2-3) at 3:00 on the SEC Network. My only interest in this game is that both teams are on A&M's schedule later this season. The Gamecocks are favored by a FG, and CFN thinks they'll win 23-17. Bleacher Report sees it 27-20. UPDATE: South Carolina won a shootout 19-10.
Missouri (4-2) vs Georgia (4-2) at 6:30 on SEC. I've hated Missouri since the Big 12 days, and I'd love to see them get smeared in this game. Georgia is favored by 16 points, and CFN calls it a 27-13 Bulldog victory. Bleacher Report predicts an even bigger Georgia win (34-17). UPDATE: Another shootout, won by Georgia 9-6.
Florida (6-0) at LSU (5-0) at 6:00 on ESPN. The only SEC game matching unbeaten teams sees LSU as a 7.5 point favorite. CFN thinks Florida will spring an upset (23-20). I'd be happy with that outcome. Bleacher Report says LSU wins 26-14. UPDATE: Tennessee put up a struggle, but LSU still won 35-28 (with a fake FG attempt that went for a TD).
In the Big 12, Oklahoma (4-1) visits Kansas State (3-2) as a 4-point favorite. After the sooners lost to the stronghorns last week, I hope KSU steamrolls them. Since the game is on ABC while A&M is playing on CBS, I won't be around to see it if it happens. Bleacher Reports says KSU 31 Oklahoma 27. UPDATE: The sooners steamrolled KSU in 55-0 bloodbath.
Update 3:32 PM Saturday: Alabama leads 14-3 at the end of the first quarter and shuld make it 21-3 on the first play of the 2nd quarter. The Tide scored a TD on an interception return, and made it 14-0 with a long run. The Aggies are looking like a team that's ready to get beat by 50 points. No offense, no defense, getting outplayed and outcoached. Unless something incredible happens, Texas A&M may be humiliated by Alabama in consecutive seasons.
Update 4:06 PM Saturday: Alabama just returned Allen's second intercepted pass 93 yards for a touchdown and a 28-6 lead. Alabama has two TDs on interception returns, and A&M has two long (over 50 yard) field goals. This one is over, and now I just hope the Aggies can keep the loss respectable.
Update 4:31 PM Saturday: Kirk returned a punt for a TD and the score is 28-13 at the half. Special teams have contributed all of A&M's points. The defense has held Alabama to 14 points, but Kyle Allen's turnovers have been killers. Alabama doesn't look like a team that will squander a 15 point lead in the second half.
Update 5:36 PM Saturday: Alabama leads 31-20 at the end of the 3rd quarter, and Kyler Murray has just heaved his first interception of the game (the third intercepted pass, but the first one not returned for a TD). Texas A&M had a chance to win this game if they had played perfectly on offense and defense, but that was too much to expect. If Bama punches the ball in now, that'll be 21 points off Aggie turnovers.
Update 5:47 PM: Alabama got a FG out of the third INT, leads 34-20 with 11:37 left in the game. The defense has not been flawless, but is much better than the offense today. This looks like football as A&M played it when Slocum was the head coach.
Update 6:08 PM: With less than six minutes remaining, and Kyle Allen's third interception returned for a touchdown, Alabama is ahead 41-23. Aggie quarterbacks threw four INTs, and Bama turned them into 24 points. They didn't need that much help to win this game, just to make it a blowout.
Update 6:48 PM: Ole Miss lost to Memphis today (37-24). Ole Miss beat Alabama the way Alabama beat A&M (taking advantage of multiple turnovers). The loss to Memphis makes Ole Miss look beatable if A&M can get their problems sorted out before next weekend. A win at Oxford could conceivably set A&M up for another winning streak (Ole Miss, South Carolina, Auburn, Western Carolina, and Vanderbilt). If that streak materializes, this ass-whipping won't be so hard to stomach in retrospect. The good news is that none of the next five opponents are Alabama.
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