Alabama vs Texas A&M: 3 things we learned
By John Buhler
The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies in Week 8, 33-14. Here are the three biggest takeaways from this SEC West rivalry game.
The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide move to 8-0 on the year by knocking off the No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday, 33-14, in Tuscaloosa. The Aggies played hard, but weren’t in the same elite class as the Crimson Tide. Texas A&M falls to 6-1 on the season.
This was the CBS SEC Game of the Week and it did not disappoint. It was a close game until Alabama flexed its juggernaut muscles beginning in the late third quarter. With the most anticipated game of the SEC season having been played, here are the three biggest takeaways from Alabama’s Week 8 win over the Aggies.
1. Alabama will make it to Atlanta…twice.
Alabama has asserted itself as the best team in the SEC. The Crimson Tide may not lose in 2016 and are the runaway favorites to win the SEC West, the SEC, and the College Football Playoff.
The Crimson Tide is in a very unique situation where they will play potentially two massive games in a row at the Georgia Dome. Barring anything unforeseen, the Crimson Tide will represent the SEC West in the 2016 SEC Championship in Atlanta.
If things go according to plan, Alabama will be the No. 1 seed in the third annual College Football Playoff. The two National Semifinal games this year are the Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome and the Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Alabama will want to play its third and second most important game of the season in Atlanta and they probably will have that opportunity.
2. Jonathan Allen is a top-10 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
For all the hype that the Alabama defense is getting from players like Reuben Foster, Marlon Humphrey, and Tim Williams, the most likely candidate from the Alabama defense to go in the top 10 of the 2017 NFL Draft is defensive end Jonathan Allen.
For whatever reason, Allen has been overlooked in the SEC pass rusher hierarchy behind Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett and the Tennessee Volunteers’ Derek Barnett. Allen’s Crimson Tide have beaten both teams and he could very well be the best Alabama defensive prospect in years — maybe since Marcell Dareus went No. 3 overall to the Buffalo Bills in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Allen wreaked havoc all over the Texas A&M backfield. He’s looking for the ball every time he chases down a quarterback. Allen probably fits best in a 3-4 scheme, but could also thrive in a 4-3. Either way, the senior defensive end for Alabama will be a big time playmaker on NFL Sundays for years to come.
3. Texas A&M is the second best team in the SEC.
There is no shame in losing to the No. 1 team in the nation on the road. However, Texas A&M is not going to get to its first SEC Championship Game in 2016. The Aggies will need the Crimson Tide to lose twice in SEC the rest of the way to have any shot of making it to Atlanta.
It’s not all bad. Texas A&M looks like the second-best team in the SEC which means the Aggies will be playing in a meaningful New Year’s Six bowl game. Because they are in the SEC West, Texas A&M could go to either the Sugar Bowl or the Cotton Bowl.
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The Aggies are probably the first-choice for the Sugar Bowl. However, if another team in the SEC usurps them this season, the Aggies could be at worst the third-best team in the SEC. That should be good enough to get one of the at-large bids to play in the Cotton Bowl. Texas A&M can still win 12 games this year.