No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies
This is the time of the year where SEC play takes center stage and we get to see a handful of top-10 matchups just like Saturday’s between Alabama and Texas A&M.
Alabama is 5-1 on the year thanks to a tough home loss to Ole Miss a few weeks back, though it looks like the Crimson Tide are proving that was a fluke. A big road win here would catapult the Crimson Tide possibly into the top-five nationally and give them the best shot of any one-loss team to make the College Football Playoff — although that is far away still.
Texas A&M is believing yet again, as the Aggies have gotten off to another hot start this season. They sit at 5-0 and are one of three SEC teams to remain undefeated at this point in the year. Kevin Sumlin has his team playing incredible football as the Aggies also look improved on the defensive side of the ball — something they have struggled with for some time.
Details for Saturday’s game are below:
Date: Saturday, Oct. 17
Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: College Station, TX
Stadium: Kyle Field
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: WatchESPN app
Radio: For Alabama radio affiliates, click here. For Texas A&M radio affiliates, click here.
Ticket information: For Texas A&M ticket info, click here. For Alabama ticket info, click here.
Keys to Victory
Alabama Crimson Tide
This one is going to be all on Alabama’s defense and run game. As we all know, the Crimson Tide have one of the top defenses in the nation, allowing just 264 total yards per game.
Derrick Henry is having his best start to the season at running back for the Crimson Tide, rushing 120 times for 665 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has three 100-yard games this year and if he wants to take the pressure off Jake Coker, he will need to have another one against Texas A&M.
Texas A&M Aggies
Although not many teams have had success against the Alabama secondary this year, Kyle Allen is one of the most talented young quarterbacks in the SEC and is looking to take the same route Chad Kelly did in defeating the Crimson Tide.
For Texas A&M to have a change in this one, Allen is going to need to have a career game, passing for over 300 yards and limiting turnovers. Christian Kirk has been a godsend for the young quarterback, so he will have to take advantage of the talent around him.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Alabama -3.5
Moneyline: Alabama -180, Texas A&M +160
O/U: 53.5
Prediction
Alabama is just too good. An early-season loss to Ole Miss infuriated this team and it’s looking like they might just run the table. It won’t be easy against a hungry Texas A&M squad, though, as this one will come down to the final minutes.
Final Score: Alabama 34, Texas A&M 31