1. I don’t want to get on a soapbox, but …

It’s always about the money, the tens of millions anchored to the ankle of a program and a coach. And constantly monitoring its future.

But here we are, for the first time since Texas A&M doubled down on a ridiculous contract for coach Jimbo Fisher with an extension in 2021, and money isn’t the focus of the program.

A talented and suddenly dangerous team is.

“We are getting better. We are not where we’re going to be,” Fisher said after the Aggies continued to distance themselves from an ugly September loss at Miami with another big step toward the top of the SEC.

Think about this: For the first time since Fisher left Florida State for that initial guaranteed, you’ve got to be kidding me, contract of $75 million over 10 years (that eventually became $95 million over 10 years), Texas A&M is 2-0 in SEC play.

That’s 6 seasons, and losses to 4 different programs preventing the Aggies from a 2-0 start to league play (Alabama twice, Auburn, Arkansas and Mississippi State). Six seasons beginning with deflating September losses, throwing the season behind the sticks before it gets started.

Now here comes Alabama, the gold standard in the SEC for nearly 2 decades, bringing a whole lot of opportunity into College Station.

“We are nowhere close to playing where we are capable of playing,” Fisher said.

That, more than anything, is the difference between the majority of the Fisher resume at Texas A&M and what could be over the next 2 months of the season.

Fisher built for this season, 4 years of elite recruiting putting the Aggies in position to compete in the toughest division in college football. And now with Texas A&M at its peak with talent — and with the lines of scrimmage as strong and talented as any in the SEC — the West Division is cycling down.

Alabama still is trying to find itself with 1st-year quarterback Jalen Milroe, and LSU has a significant problem on defense. Ole Miss still can’t get defensive stops to supplement a dangerous offense.

That leaves us with Texas A&M, which despite the loss of starting quarterback Conner Weigman (ankle), is set up with an experienced backup quarterback (more on that later) and roster full of impact, former blue-chip recruits.

After years of Fisher’s guaranteed contract — and Texas A&M’s ability to possibly move on from it and Fisher — dominating the narrative, the Aggies face the most consequential game of his 6 seasons.

They’re playing at home in front of a wild environment, set up to take down Alabama and become the team to beat in the West Division.

And maybe the SEC.

2. Old School buildout

In the now era of the transfer portal, of players moving fluidly through teams and impacting championship runs, Texas A&M has stayed (mostly) true to the process.

When the Aggies lined up last week against Arkansas, only 2 of the starting 22 were from the portal: CB Josh DeBerry (from Boston College) and QB Max Johnson. The rest were developed through high school recruiting.

And while Fisher and his staff added from the portal for this season (17 players), they were backup roles to fill more than 20 players lost to the portal.

The Aggies are in position for a consequential win (and season) under Fisher because of the old school buildout through high school recruiting.

Of the starters who were signed and developed, 16 are former blue-chip (4- or 5-star) recruits, according to the 247Sports composite. But that’s just the starting 22, because much like Alabama and Georgia, Texas A&M is loaded with blue-chip backups who play as much as the starters.

Guys like defensive linemen Walter Nolen and Shemar Stewart, and Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy and Enai White. Four defensive linemen/edge players who would start for most SEC teams.

This is why Texas A&M reached and threw all of that guaranteed money at Fisher to get him to leave FSU, then did it again after 9 wins in the truncated COVID season of 2020. It’s as much for Fisher’s track record of recruiting and developing players as it is for the national title he won 10 years ago — where every starter on the FSU team that beat Auburn in the BCS National Championship Game was eventually drafted by the NFL.

Players win games. Elite defensive linemen win games in the SEC, and eventually in the Playoff.

There’s no question where the road runs through in the West Division, even with Alabama seemingly muddling through the season with the most questions at quarterback since a former wide receiver-turned-quarterback (Blake Sims) started for 1 season in 2014.

Sims set passing records for Alabama that season. Milroe won’t look anything like that, and that’s why it’s time the elite defense Fisher built — with high school recruiting classes of the past 4 years that ranked 10th, 1st, 9th and 6th in the nation — makes its presence felt in a defining game.

3. Now or never, The Epilogue

It all fell apart for Fisher at FSU because he began to miss on quarterback recruits.

They weren’t the right fit, they couldn’t stay eligible, they had behavior problems. Or they just weren’t good enough.

When Fisher arrived at Texas A&M, he inherited a former blue-chip recruit (Kellen Mond), but his struggles of recruiting the most important position on the field continued.

From 2018-2021, Fisher recruited 4 quarterbacks: James Foster. Zach Calzada. Haynes King and Eli Stowers. None is on this roster.

It wasn’t until 2022, when Fisher landed 5-star Conner Weigman that the program had the potential of an elite, game-changing quarterback. At the same time, Fisher added Johnson from the portal to compete with King for the starting job while Weigman figured it out.

King won the job, and then got benched after a shocking loss to App State. Johnson started 3 games before getting injured, and King took over (and wasn’t better) before Weigman finally got his shot and gave Fisher his first elite quarterback since a guy named Jameis at FSU.

With the 7-loss season of 2022 close in the rearview and that fat contract shadowing every game (and an ugly loss to Miami in Week 2), Weigman broke a bone is his foot 2 weeks ago and was lost for the season.

Now Johnson, who could have — and probably should have — transferred from Texas A&M after it was clear Weigman was the future, has a chance to steer a championship-caliber team. The Aggies are 2-0 in the SEC for the first time under Fisher because the offense hasn’t hesitated under Johnson.

He has 4 TD passes in those 2 starts, and the Aggies haven’t really been stressed offensively. This, of course, shouldn’t be surprising considering Johnson has a career TD/INT ratio of 44/8 in 22 career starts. And now he has a complete team behind him.

A talented and suddenly dangerous team that could change the narrative from a contract dragging down the program — to a Playoff run.

4. A familiar foe

It has been clunky, to put it mildly. Even after 22 consecutive wins, it just doesn’t look right for 2-time defending national champion Georgia.

Now they get a mirror image of who they are when unbeaten Kentucky arrives in Athens for a critical East division game.

Both teams want to run the ball and throw off play-action to a group of talented receivers (and tight ends) that have so far been underutilized. Both teams have quarterbacks who are hot and cold, and have made just enough plays.

Both teams play 2 safeties high on defense, and man coverage underneath — and dare you to throw the ball.

And if the first 2 SEC games of the season haven’t underscored it, it’s beyond time to accept it: Georgia isn’t the same team (offensively or defensively) it was in 2021-22.

Here’s the difference: the Kentucky run defense. Forget about the first 4 games of the season when the Wildcats weren’t sharp against 4 gimme putts.

Look instead at last week’s Florida game, where Kentucky held the Gators to 69 yards on 29 carries and dominated the game. The question: Can Kentucky’s run defense finally dictate the Georgia game?

Georgia has rushed for 863 yards in the past 4 games against Kentucky, averaging 215.7 yards per game. The Wildcats are No. 2 in the SEC in rush defense (75.8 ypg.), giving up only 2.54. yards per carry.

That’s how you beat Georgia on the road. Stop the run, and put the ball in the hands of QB Carson Beck in 3rd-and-7+ situations.

Or exactly what South Carolina did last month in Athens, when it built an early first half lead behind that very formula. The Dawgs couldn’t run early, and the offense was put in predictable pass situations before figuring it out in the 2nd half.

Kentucky’s defense is more active in the front 7, and covers better in the secondary. As important, Kentucky can run the ball to keep its defense off the field and fresh — and potentially give Georgia its 1st home loss since 2019.

5. The Weekly 5

Five games against the spread.

  • Kentucky (+16.5) at Georgia
  • LSU at Missouri (+6.5)
  • Alabama at Texas A&M (+3.5)
  • Vanderbilt (+18.5) at Florida
  • Arkansas (+11.5) at Ole Miss

Last week: 3-2.

Season: 15-10.

6. Your tape is your resume

An NFL scout analyzes a draft-eligible SEC player. This week: Florida CB Jason Marshall.

“He has everything you want in a boundary corner. Just stick him out there and let him do his thing. He knows how to use the boundary. He can run, he has good hands and natural feel for the position. And he doesn’t mind delivering a blow in the run game. If there’s a criticism, it’s he wanders a bit. By that, I mean he can get lost in a game and get lazy in his technique. Sloppy is probably the best way to explain it. He knows what to do, and can do it — he just gets sloppy at times. It’s consistency and preparation.”

7. Powered Up

This week’s Power Poll, and 1 big thing.

1. Georgia: A statement for QB Carson Beck: Georgia needed key throws in the pass game in the 4th quarter, and he delivered. Can he build off it, and make the passing game more dangerous?

2. Alabama: The difference in the defense from 2022 to 2023: drive-extending mistakes have almost been eliminated. And they’re getting after the quarterback: Tide have 17 sacks in 5 games and had 38 in 13 games in 2022.

3. Kentucky: There’s too much wasted dynamic potential at wide receiver with Barion Brown and Dane Key. QB Devin Leary has to play better, especially in upcoming big games, starting with Georgia.

4. Texas A&M: Watch RB Le’Veon Moss and how he plays. He’s tough and physical, and he has speed and wiggle. He needs more than 17 carries a game — his season-high against Arkansas.

5. Tennessee: The passing game looks off. It doesn’t have the efficiency of the past 2 seasons, and that’s on both QB Joe Milton III and the staff for not adjusting what they do to fit Milton — and not expect Milton to be Hendon Hooker.

6. Ole Miss: No matter what, keep RB Quinshon Judkins healthy (more on that later). Because the defense will have more days like the past 2 weeks against Alabama and LSU, where they can’t stop the run game.

7. LSU: This is typically when Brian Kelly cracks the whip: an ugly loss that shouldn’t have been. It happened last year after the Tennessee loss, expect it now — with a desperation game next week at Missouri.

8. Missouri: Considering the start to the season, this is the biggest SEC game in Columbia since 2014 — the last time Missouri won the East Division.

9. Arkansas: A disturbing trend continued for the Hogs under coach Sam Pittman. In each of his 4 years at Arkansas, the Hogs have lost at least 3 straight games at some point during the season.

10. Florida: Coach Billy Napier’s play-calling continues to be a huge question. Case in point: Since RB Trevor Etienne’s breakout performance against Tennessee (172 yards rushing), he can’t get more carries. In the 2 games since, Etienne has 25 touches (rush/receive), and RB Montrell Johnson has 34.

11. Auburn: The Tigers simply can’t throw the ball with efficiency. No matter what coach Hugh Freeze does, the numbers are brutal for QBs Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford: 5 TDs, 4 INTs, 5.4 yards per attempt.

12. South Carolina: Practice work in the bye week: Gamecocks are last in the SEC in pass defense (301.4 ypg.), 13th in yards per attempt (8.3) and 12th in completion percentage allowed (67).

13. Mississippi State: QB Will Rogers has thrown for less than 165 yards in 3 of MSU’s 5 games. It you weren’t convinced about the Bulldogs’ commitment to run the ball (and take the ball out of the hands of Rogers), you are now.

14. Vanderbilt: Coach Clark Lea benched QB AJ Swann for Ken Seals and now has a quarterback controversy heading into a winnable game at Florida.

8. Ask and you shall receive

Matt: I’m sitting here drinking another bourbon and Coke and wondering how did we get here? When did LSU become the punching bag for Ole Miss? — Henry Nichols, New Orleans.

Henry:

It starts up front, and LSU simply isn’t getting the interior push and disruption it expected from DTs Maason Smith, Mekhi Wingo, Jordan Jefferson. One NFL scout I spoke to says Smith “doesn’t look like he’s completely back from the (knee) injury.”

LSU also isn’t affecting the quarterback like it did last season, and that begins and ends with the decision to move Harold Perkins inside to full-time linebacker. While Perkins still moves around in pass situations, LSU has taken its most disruptive player and moved him inside — where the Tigers’ interior linemen aren’t keeping offensive linemen off him and allowing Perkins to flow and fill freely.

Perkins had 7.5 sacks last season, and was nearly unblockable off the edge. He affected and disrupted offenses, and by the end of the season, was the best rush end in college football.

Now he’s lost in the constant shuffle of inside to outside and back inside again. Or as another NFL scout told me, “Stick him on the edge and tell him to get the quarterback and leave him alone.”

But it doesn’t end there. The secondary struggles because of a limited pass rush. The Tigers have 9 sacks in 5 games, and the lack of pressure puts more stress on CBs Zy Alexander and Denver Harris.

It’s easy to see how LSU has fallen all the way to 13th in the SEC in scoring (31 ppg.) and total defense (429.4 ypg.).

9. Numbers

5.4. Welcome back, Quinshon Judkins. The Ole Miss star running back has been banged up all season, various injuries limiting what he can do in the run game — and what Ole Miss wants to do overall offensively.

Then LSU week arrived for the run game that last year led the Power 5 in rush yards per game but had dropped to 10th in the SEC before a video game win over the Tigers. Judkins had his first 100-yard game of the season (177 yards), and averaged 5.4 yards per carry after rushing for 201 yards at 3.5 ypc. in the first 4 games of the season.

Judkins is healthy, and the Ole Miss offense is completely different — and nothing like it showed in an ugly loss to Alabama — when when he’s the focal point of the game plan.

10. Quote to note

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel: “We gotta play smarter football, and our margins just aren’t big enough to not do that. So we’re in control of that. Starts with coaches, starts with me, starts with our assistant coaches and then our players gotta soak it up, too.”