After scoring 28 unanswered points to pull off the biggest comeback in program history against South Carolina this weekend, Texas A&M remained the only undefeated team in SEC play.
With the Lone Star Showdown against Texas over Thanksgiving weekend being the Aggies’ only remaining SEC game, A&M is officially 1 win away from clinching its first ever SEC Championship Game appearance.
With Georgia, Ole Miss and Alabama being the only teams besides A&M with fewer than 2 losses in SEC play, the Aggies know their opponent in the conference championship game, should they take care of business and get to Atlanta, will be 1 of the 3. Here’s a breakdown in order of which of the big 3 teams A&M should want to see in the SEC Championship Game.
1. Ole Miss
If you think experience doesn’t mean anything in a big conference game like the SEC title game, you are sadly mistaken.
Just like A&M, Ole Miss came into season with moderate expectations and viewed by many analysts as a dark horse in the SEC. Despite winning double-figure games in the last 2 seasons, this is the first time Ole Miss has had 1 loss or less this deep in the season since the SEC started playing a championship game in 1992.
Just like the Aggies, an appearance in the SEC title game would be the first in program history as the last time Ole Miss won an SEC title was in 1963.
On the field, A&M’s ability to win games in multiple ways, especially in a shootout, is one of the main reasons Ole Miss is the team Aggie fans should be pulling for the most to see in the SEC title game. Of Ole Miss’s 6 conference wins, every one but its 10-point victory over Florida this past weekend has been by 8 points or less.
With A&M having the knack for rising to the occasion and making plays in big moments this season, a matchup with Ole Miss fits the mold of the most favorable, as the Aggies would more than likely have another opportunity to shine again in the clutch. Combined this with the fact A&M would be facing a team and a program who has no recent experience of being on this stage, Ole Miss is the perfect opponent for A&M to play in its inaugural appearance in the SEC Championship Game.
2. Alabama
Although a matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide wouldn’t be ideal given their recent history, this is definitely the second-best option for the Aggies in this scenario. Despite Alabama being one of the best and most physical teams in nation, A&M has the talent and physicality to give them problems.
Thanks to Florida State and Oklahoma providing a blueprint on how to beat Alabama this season, Mike Elko and company will know exactly what they need to do if they see Alabama in Atlanta.
To beat Alabama, you must be able to stop the Tide from getting their moribund run game going, as they were held under 100 yards rushing in both losses. You also must get to their star quarterback, Ty Simpson, who was sacked 3 times in both losses and has had some fumbling issues lately.
Fortunately for A&M, the Aggies have a defense which can duplicate this feat, as Cashius Howell and Dayon Hayes can get after any quarterback in the nation to set the tone for an Aggie defense, which could make Alabama one-dimensional.
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3. Georgia
Out of the 3 hypothetical SEC Championship Game options, Georgia is without a doubt the least desirable for A&M due to the fact the Bulldogs are defending SEC champs and have been there and done that and can beat you in a multitude of ways. Just like A&M, no matter if it’s a defensive struggle, a come-from-behind effort or an SEC shootout, Georgia is a team that has found a way to consistently win no matter the scenario.
Unlike against Ole Miss, A&M would be at disadvantage in the experience department, as half of the Georgia roster has an SEC championship ring on their résumés. Although the Bulldogs expected to be in Atlanta for the fifth season in a row since the schedules came out, A&M has built a culture under Elko that has consistently propelled them to rise to the occasion no matter the opponent or stage.
They will need that mentality as the Aggies will have to go through the fire no matter who they play if they want to bring home the program’s first SEC title.
Kendrick E. Johnson writes for various national outlets such as High School on SI, Yardbarker, ESPN Andscape and MMA Weekly. He is an independent print journalist, sports television reporter and multimedia journalist who has covered the NBA Finals, NFL, NCAA football, MLB, NHL, WWE and over 75 world championship boxing and UFC Fights nationally. Johnson has also covered every prep sport possible in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and all across the great state of Texas. He’s done numerous 1-on-1 interviews with some of the biggest names and personalities in sports from Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry and Shaq on the basketball side to Jon Jones, Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford on the combat sports side and John Cena, Jey and Jimmy Uso and Charlotte Flair in WWE.
