Sports Illustrated: 10 Most Watchable Teams Includes 2 from the SEC

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The Aggies are not the best team in the FBS, or in their own conference, or even in their own state. (TCU snatched the latter title by beating Oklahoma State on Saturday.) Through four weeks, however, Texas A&M has played two of the most riveting games of the season. The Aggies came out on the wrong end of the first one, a 45–44 loss at UCLA in which their dominating first-half performance gave way to Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen masterfully conducting one of the largest comebacks ever, a jaw-dropping reversal that sent so many fans into a fit of rage that the website TexAgs.com temporarily crashed. The second one happened only a few days ago, against Arkansas at AT&T Stadium, and Texas A&M won this time after true freshman quarterback Kellen Mond found junior wide receiver Christian Kirk for a 10-yard touchdown in overtime.

There’s no reason the Aggies’ high-wire act can’t continue over the course of SEC play, and head coach Kevin Sumlin’s status on the hot seat will make every nail-biter even more compelling. Knowing his future could ride on the outcome of one series, play or Daniel LaCamera kick could make Texas A&M’s this season’s must-watch weekly TV drama. Beyond their apparent propensity for living on the edge, the Aggies’ case is bolstered by two of the most exciting playmakers in the SEC, sophomore running back Trayveon Williams and Kirk, who posted three total touchdowns (two receiving, one on a kick return) against the Razorbacks on Saturday.

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The Crimson Tide will repel fans who enjoy genuine competition. They ruthlessly hammer their opponents with a fierce defense and an offense whose bread and butter is a multi-faceted ground game. Alabama is capable of making opponents pay for loading up to stuff the run by heaving it long to stud junior wide receiver Calvin Ridley, but it typically doesn’t need to ask sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts to step too far out of his comfort zone.

On Saturday, in a 59–0 victory over a Vanderbilt team with an ostensibly formidable defense, the Crimson Tide rushed the ball 66 times for 496 yards (good for 7.5 yards per carry) and threw it only 27 times, transforming CBS’s Game of the Week into 60 minutes of garbage time. Alabama hasn’t been pushed yet this season, and it may not be until it reaches the SEC title bout. Some may view that prospect as a major turnoff. Others, however, could delight in the Crimson Tide Death Star methodically mowing down conference foes while showing off a group of former highly-touted recruits ticketed for the early rounds of future NFL drafts.

The Alabama dynasty won’t last forever, so it’s probably better to marvel at the Crimson Tide’s unremitting success than ignore them until another program comes along to grab the throne. At the very least, this year’s version of the Iron Bowl, at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Thanksgiving weekend, demands your attention, if only because Auburn will do everything in its power to deny Alabama a fourth consecutive trip to the final four.

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