Why Texas A&M should be tabbed as '1B' to Alabama as top SEC team

The college football season is now half over. By this point, there have been enough results to have a good idea of what teams are truly competitive and which teams aren’t. Still, the race to the top of the SEC is a tight one, with several teams vying for that spot, including the Alabama Crimson Tide.

After Alabama added big wins over Georgia and Missouri, many think of the Crimson Tide as the best team in the SEC, even with a loss. However, analyst Josh Pate doesn’t think it’s so clean cut. As he explained during a Thursday morning appearance on Get Up, the Texas A&M Aggies very much still need to be in that discussion.

“If they are [best in the SEC], it’s by inches and not by miles,” Pate said. “Because I’ve looked at Texas A&M, and I don’t have a problem or 1A as long as you make Texas A&M your 1B, or vice versa. No particular order right there. Texas A&M has already shown you they have a multitude of ways they can beat you. They’ve won rock fights. They’ve won shootouts. They made it possible for Notre Dame to score 40 in South Bend and still lose the game. They scored 41. Then, they beat Auburn in a game that was played in the teens.”

Texas A&M is one of two SEC teams, along with Ole Miss, that are still unbeaten this season. That’s in a year that the Aggies had to travel to South Bend and have since gotten out to a 3-0 start in conference play. Alabama has a few more of those premier wins, but Alabama also has a non-conference loss. Interestingly, Pate pointed toward the Aggies’ versatility as to why they’ve stayed clean so far.

“So, they haven’t tasted their own blood yet. They haven’t lost yet,” Pate said. “And I don’t think anyone’s going wire to wire in the SEC, but I love what they’ve built from a balance perspective. They’re multi-faceted. Memaw would call them a toolbox team. Because they’ve got many different tools they can beat you [with].”

The schedule does get more challenging moving forward for Texas A&M. Two of its next three games and three of its final six games are against teams currently ranked in the AP Poll. Those are all going to be major tests the Aggies need to pass. If they don’t, they could slip off from being right beside Alabama in the SEC rankings.

As for Alabama, the Crimson Tide have clearly established they can beat anyone in the SEC. That’s hard to ignore. However, with three ranked opponents in the next four weeks, it’s perceivable the Crimson Tide could also fall off that perch.

Notably, Alabama and Texas A&M don’t play in the regular season. So, if they do meet, it’s likely going to be for an SEC Championship. Of course, Ole Miss, Georgia, LSU, and plenty of other teams still want to have their say.