By: George Ahearn

Perhaps the most intriguing game of Week 6 kicks off at 3:30p ET, with Alabama traveling to College Station to play the Texas A&M Aggies. Since both hail from the SEC West, this game could provide major SEC implications, as the winner will control their destiny in terms of playing in the conference championship game come December. 

We all know the story behind this year’s Alabama team. Question marks around the offense arose following back-to-back lackluster performances against Texas and South Florida. Despite winning an ugly game against No. 16 Ole Miss two weeks ago and decimating Mississippi State on the road last week, this Alabama team still hasn’t earned the same level of respect as former Crimson Tide teams. 

On the other hand, Texas A&M has been playing impressive football to start the season, despite losing at Miami (FL), 48-33. However, this loss is not a serious blemish on the Aggies record. Miami (FL) has quietly started their season 4-0 and owns the 8^th ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 43.8 points per contest. 

Regardless of opinions surrounding these two squads, both sit at 4-1, and Saturday’s matchup will be pivotal in determining who travels to Atlanta for the SEC Championship. 

In the Aggies’ Week 4, 27-10 home win against Auburn, starting QB Connor Weigman left with a lower leg injury that unfortunately sidelined him for the remainder of the season. This injury led the way for former LSU QB Max Johnson to take the reins of the offense. In his first start of the season, Johnson led the Aggies to a 34-22 win over Arkansas in Jerry World, displaying what Aggies fans hope is his ability to lead them to one of their most successful seasons since Manziel captured the hearts of College Station. 

Further, Johnson looked great when he came in for Weigman during the Auburn game. The Aggies only led 6-3 at halftime in a hostile Jordan-Hare Stadium when Max Johnson entered the game. Despite the pressure, Johnson came out and threw for 123 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Aggies to a 27-10 win. Head coach Jimbo Fisher believes in his QB, and when speaking of his poise of Johnson, he “never blinked.” Having a head coach rally behind his backup QB allows for the rest of the team to buy in, and I fully believe this is what has taken place in College Station. 

For Alabama, their offense finally displayed a level of dominance in their road rout of Mississippi State last week, winning 40-17. While Alabama fans may be ready to put their past offensive woes behind them, I still believe their offensive troubles will persist as the season progresses. 

The fact that they benched QB Jalen Milroe following the Texas game displays a level of turmoil uncharacteristic of the Tide. Further, former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is in his first year calling plays for the Crimson Tide, and the overwhelmingly intense level of pressure to produce wins in Tuscaloosa has to be weighing on his mind. 

More so, I believe the offensive prowess the Tide displayed against the Bulldogs is more so a product of a weak Mississippi State defense than an Alabama offense that is clicking. When Ole Miss came to town, Alabama only scored 24 points. For comparison, the LSU offense traveled to Oxford last week and put up a whopping 49 points on that same Ole Miss defense. 

At the end of the day, I think the Crimson Tide offense has not found its stride, and, when they travel to College Station to play in front of a crowd with that level of hostility, I believe they will struggle. This leaves us with the question of whether the Aggie offense can create big plays against a tenacious Alabama defense. 

Maybe I’m stupid for believing, but I think the Aggies offense will find enough success to win this football game. Bobby Petrino, love him or hate him, has this offense humming in his first year calling plays for the Aggies. 

Texas A&M currently sits at 2.5 point underdogs in a game no one is giving them a chance to win, as currently only 25% of bets are on the Aggies to cover. We’ve seen Jimbo Fisher knock-off a top ranked ‘Bama team before, winning 41-38 in College Station in 2021 when Alabama was the No. 1 ranked team in the nation. 

This doesn’t feel like an A&M team of the past five seasons. They’re playing with more moxie and more confidence of past teams – the perfect combination to knock off Alabama. 

The pick: Texas A&M +2.5