No. 3 Ole Miss @ No. 14 Texas A&M (-2) TV: ESPN 9 pm Saturday
Daniel: This is a game that could make the SEC West very wild. Just as it’s starting to look like Ole Miss is rising towards the top and A&M is fading in the hunt, it only seems natural that the Aggies will throw everything into disarray again by winning this game. They certainly have a chance. The Aggies have won eight of their last nine games at home and Kenny Hill will be a test for the Ole Miss defense that did enough to shock Alabama last week. I think Ole Miss is the more talented team overall, but the Rebels will be physically and emotionally exhausted from their huge win over Alabama. A&M bounces back and pulls off the upset in this one. Winner: A&M 35-32
Houston: Ole Miss is riding high after last week’s win over Alabama while the Aggies are licking their wounds after a drubbing at the hands of Mississippi State. Teams tend to suffer a slight letdown the week after “program-defining” wins and I think that Ole Miss is due one this week. Bo Wallace was outstanding against Bama, but I think Texas A&M has the athletes to cause him some trouble in this one. The Aggies will be hungry for a rebound win and the home crowd will be urging them the whole way in this one. Winner: Texas A&M 34-28
Reed: What a weekend of games. This one pits the league’s best offense (the Aggies) against the league’s top-ranked defense. While I usually like to take defense in such situations, Ole Miss is coming off an emotional high and has to play a hungry A&M team on the road in a notoriously raucous environment. Bo Wallace is due for a couple of turnovers and, ultimately, that may be the difference in this one. The talent and home field edge for A&M is tough to pick against. Winner: Aggies 31-30
Kyle: With all due praise to Kevin Sumlin, one of the best coaches in the game, the hype surrounding A&M to this point comes from beating up on a team with a loss to Kentucky. Arkansas was able to grind down the Aggies offense for three quarters, and Mississippi State flat-out punched A&M in the mouth.
There are few defenses in the SEC I’ve been as impressed with to this point as MSU’s, but Ole Miss is one of them. I read a lot of blame being passed around from Alabama writers and fans, putting the paltry 17-point effort in The Grove on Lane Kiffin, Blake Sims and even Nick Saban. Really, the credit goes to this Ole Miss defense.
The Rebels will make life difficult for Kenny Hill and points should prove hard to come by. That said…
Kyle Field is one of the more intimidating road venues in the country–so sayeth my native San Antonian father–and the 100,000-plus who make up the 12th Man will make their presence known. Ole Miss may struggle with play calls as a result. I’m anticipating a much lower scoring game than the typical A&M fare. That benefits Ole Miss, which takes another step toward an Egg Bowl for the SEC West. Winner: Ole Miss 24-21
