Fansided

5 reasons Texas A&M Aggies won’t upset Alabama Crimson Tide

By John Buhler

Oct 15, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Eddie Jackson (4) celebrates his punt return for a 79yd touchdown against the Tennessee Volunteers during the fourth quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Eddie Jackson (4) celebrates his punt return for a 79yd touchdown against the Tennessee Volunteers during the fourth quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /
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The No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies will play the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday afternoon. Here are five reasons the Crimson Tide will roll over the Aggies.

The marquee game on the Week 8 slate in college football is a budding SEC West rivalry game. The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide will host the No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies at Bryant-Denny Stadium for a 3:30 PM ET kickoff as part of CBS’ SEC Game of the Week.

Alabama (7-0) and Texas A&M (6-0) are the last two undefeated teams in the SEC and they are two of only 11 undefeated teams left in the FBS level. This game should be a real treat for SEC fans and really fans of big-time college football in general.

While Texas A&M is a great team in its own right, the Aggies are clearly the underdog in this game. Here are five reasons that the Aggies are not going to upset the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

Oct 15, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) drops back to pass during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) drops back to pass during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Jalen Hurts

Look, the SEC is not a great quarterback conference. Outside of the Mannings, when has it ever been a reliable place for NFL teams to procure top talent at the quarterback position? That being said, Alabama does seem to have found something potentially special in true freshman Jalen Hurts.

Since AJ McCarron graduated after the 2013 NCAA season, the Crimson Tide have gone with a different starting quarterback each season. Blake Sims got the Crimson Tide to the first annual College Football Playoff in 2014 and Florida State transfer Jacob Coker helped guide Alabama to the National Championship in 2016.

One could argue that Hurts is the next product of the Lane Kiffin quarterbacking system, but he’s playing with poise reminiscent of McCarron in his sophomore season. Hurts is more dual-threat than McCarron ever was, but he can still hit the open Alabama receiving targets with catchable balls.

Hurts will turn the football over on occasion, but he’s proving to be one of the most reliable signal callers in the SEC in his true freshman season. There is room for improvement from Hurts in the next two to three seasons, but he might just be the best case for the SEC to have another Heisman Trophy winner in 2016.

Alabama is better in 2016 because Hurts is more than just a game manager at quarterback. He can lead his team to back-to-back National Championships and three-peat in the SEC.

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