“At every Monday news conference Nick Saban holds, the Alabama head coach touts the strength of the next opponent, making sure everyone in the world knows the Crimson Tide respects the team it’s expected to vanquish,” a Monday article from AL.com stated.

Saban said the Tide’s opponent this week, Texas A&M, will be the toughest one it has faced so far this season. And that includes Florida State, which is a team many would classify ahead of the Aggies.

“This is by far, I think, the strongest team that we’ve played to this point all the way around,” Saban said of A&M.

To be fair, it seems like ages ago that the Seminoles were considered a national title contender.

He went on and on about the Aggies, and explained why they are, in his opinion, the Tide’s toughest opponent to date:

“Texas A&M is the strongest team that we’ve played to this point looking at them from a holistic standpoint,” he said. “They’re a very explosive offensive team. They run the ball very effectively. They’ve got really good running backs. Christian Kirk is maybe the most explosive player — returner, receiver, runner — of anybody in our league. Offensively, tough to run against. They create a lot of negative plays. They’ve got good pass rushers. [Defensive coordinator] John Chavis always does a good job of playing very aggressive, physical football. Because of Christian Kirk being a fantastic returner, these guys are very dangerous on special teams.”

The Aggies are 4-1 overall this season and 2-0 against the SEC. A&M’s only loss this season came at UCLA in Week 1 — a game it led 44-10.