Texas A&M finished with an 8-1 regular season record, ranked 5th, and with hopes for a spot in the championship playoff. Notre Dame got the playoff spot instead, and will probably be steamrolled by Alabama. The Aggies already got their annual dose of the Crimson Tide in the second game, their only loss.
The number 5 ranking was good enough to land A&M a spot in the Orange Bowl, a step up in class from the middle-tier bowls the Aggies typically play in. The game will be televised on ESPN at 7:00 PM CST on Saturday. The opponent will be North Carolina (8-3), coached by Mack Brown, an old A&M nemesis from days gone by.
North Carolina's best wins were against N.C. State (8-3), Miami (8-3), and Boston College (6-5), and the losses were against Florida State (3-6), Virginia (5-5), and Notre Dame (10-1).
There are two schools of thought among college football pundits concerning the game. One one hand, the Aggies may be disappointed after being passed over for the playoff spot, which will result in a lack of enthusiasm against the Tar Heels. On the other hand, the Aggies may be angry after taking a back seat to Notre Dame, and will be highly motivated to send a message by winning the Orange Bowl.
The motivation issue aside, A&M is favored by 7.5 points, and the Tar Heels will be without a few of their best offensive players. College Football News predicts that North Carolina will be strong enough on offense to put up a few early scores, but that A&M will eventually control the tempo with defense and win 34-20.
Update 8:39 PM Saturday: It's no work of art, but A&M is playing the kind of football they've played since the third game. The Aggies have made just enough mistakes to allow the Tar Heels to stay within seven points, or even lead for a few minutes. The score is 17-13 at the half, with A&M on top but letting UNC hang around.
Final update: Early in the 4th quarter, North Carolina scores on a 75-yard TD pass, one play drive, to lead 27-20. The Aggies had been piddling around for an hour, and I was almost ready to stop wasting time on the Orange Bowl. While I was pondering the matter, A&M scored to tie the game at 27-27. I thought about how mad at myself I'd be if I turned off the TV and A&M got two more late scores to win 41-27. So I bit the bullet and stuck with the game.
The weirdest damn thing happened. The Aggies caught fire on offense and defense and dominated the remainder of the 4th quarter with 21 unanswered points and a 41-27 victory. This was the best A&M football season I've seen since Manziel won the Heisman in 2012.
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