Texas A&M at Alabama 9/22
Alabama’s reputation suggests we can pencil them into the playoffs right now. That makes sense considering they’ve gotten there every year since the Final Four started. Still, we shouldn’t forget they entered the postseason with a loss three of those instances. In fact, the team squandered its only shot at an undefeated in the playoff era when the 14-0 Crimson Tide lost to Clemson in the 2017 title game. Alabama is the SEC’s standard bearer, and the rest of the conference’s big-money teams have just been chasing the best coaches and players in the country in hopes of knocking Nick Saban and company off their perch.
That desire to compete is why Texas A&M plucked head coach Jimbo Fisher from Florida State and signed him to a 10-year contract worth $75 million. He took over in Tallahassee for legend Bobby Bowden and sustained great success—leaving Florida State as the preeminent program in what is arguably the country’s best state for college football. Fisher won’t be expected to take down Alabama in his first year at A&M. But make no mistake about it, he is being tasked with that lofty goal over the length of that big contract. This year’s matchup in Tuscaloosa could either be the beginning of a great rivalry between Fisher and Saban or the first step toward Fisher never living up to that deal.
