Yahoo Sports College football Week 9 preview: Texas A&M may be building something
<p>With all due respect to Notre Dame vs. Navy, Illinois at Oregon, Missouri at Alabama and even (unexpectedly) Texas at Vanderbilt, the game of the weekend to close out October is in College Station, Tex.</p> <p>This is more of a rarity than Texas A&M’s considerable expenditures would suggest.</p> <p>There is no denying the Aggies (6-1, 4-0 SEC) are off to a fine start under first-year coach Mike Elko. After an opening week loss to Notre Dame, the Aggies have rattled off six victories in a row, mixing in a couple of drubbings (at Florida, at home against Missouri) with some taut triumphs (Bowling Green, Arkansas) along the way.</p> <p>And now A&M gets to face LSU (6-1, 3-0) in a matchup of top-15 teams at Kyle Field.</p> <p>Do you know how many times that happened in nearly six full seasons under Elko’s predecessor, Jimbo Fisher?</p> <p>Once.</p> <p>Sure, the Aggies were part of five top-15 matchups under Fisher, but losses to Clemson (2019), Alabama (2020) and Mississippi (2021) were all on the road, and the Orange Bowl defeat of North Carolina after the 2020 season was on a neutral field. The lone home game to pit top-15 teams was a 20-3 thrashing of Auburn in 2021.</p> <p>There is a degree of hilarity in the fact that after backing up a Brinks truck to lure Fisher from Florida State, then backing it up again to give him an extension, then giving him more than $75 million to depart the premises - all with a constant hype machine churning - the understated Elko has exceeded expectations and put A&M squarely in the SEC title conversation.</p> <p>There are some obvious explanations. Fisher did recruit well. That was never his problem, and so there was a baseline of talent when Elko arrived.</p> <p>Boosters willing to pay so much for a coach to go away aren’t going to be bashful about paying players to come or stay. Now that it’s basically legal in the eyes of the NCAA to do so, this is a good thing.</p> <p>And A&M is on the right end of some breaks with the SEC schedule. No Georgia. No Tennessee. No Alabama. No Mississippi. Catching Florida when it was really sputtering. Catching Mississippi State at any time. In a 16-team league, there’s bound to be someone who gets fortunate with their set of opponents. The Aggies have only played the hand they were dealt (and done so quite well).</p> <p>And if they can beat LSU, another team that tripped up on Labor Day weekend but hasn’t lost since? The wait for another top-15 matchup in College Station might not be so long.</p> <p>After all, Texas comes to town Nov. 30.</p> <p>- - -</p> <p>Conference USA won’t take the fifth (automatic bid)</p> <p>Liberty was the Group of Five representative last season in the final iteration of the New Year’s Six in the four-team playoff era, giving Conference USA its first appearance on that stage.</p> <p>The format is different this year - the 12-team playoff includes an automatic berth that guarantees a spot to at least one Group of Five team - but Conference USA is now unlikely to benefit.</p> <p>Liberty was the last undefeated CUSA team, until it lost, 27-24, at previously winless Kennesaw State on Wednesday. The Flames (5-1, 3-1) probably couldn’t lose to anybody and keep their playoff hopes intact; falling to the Owls (1-6, 1-2), who were 0-10 all-time against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents before this week, pretty much demolishes those chances.</p> <p>That means the most likely candidates for that automatic berth are Boise State or UNLV out of the Mountain West or the eventual American Athletic champion - perhaps undefeated Army or Navy, though Memphis and Tulane seem like contenders as well.</p> <p>- - -</p> <p>Five with the most at stake</p> <p>A look at some teams with plenty to prove in Week 9.</p> <p>1a. LSU and 1b. Texas A&M. This one’s pretty self-explanatory. The Tigers (6-1, 3-0 SEC) and the Aggies (6-1, 4-0) are the only undefeated teams left in SEC play.</p> <p>2a. Navy and 2b. Notre Dame. The Midshipmen (6-0) roll into the Meadowlands undefeated and off to their best start since 1979. The Fighting Irish (6-1) probably need to win out to have a realistic shot at a playoff berth. A victory would carry value for either team.</p> <p>3. Penn State. In an act of ducking even an iota of accountability - and passing on the chance to calmly say something along the lines of “I have nothing to say beyond the statement we released” like a mature adult would, instead leaving it to a PR person to be a scold - Nittany Lions Coach James Franklin literally walked away from questions about rape charges against former Penn State players on Wednesday.</p> <p>The insistence was to direct discussion to the far less serious matter of the Nittany Lions’ game at Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten). Of course, if Penn State (6-0, 3-0) loses under the lights at Camp Randall Stadium against an improved Badgers bunch that has allowed 16 points in its past three games, it’s possible Franklin will want to avoid questions about that, too.</p> <p>4. Michigan. Things haven’t gone all that well for the Wolverines (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten), particularly on offense. And with Oregon, Indiana and Ohio State still to come, things could get worse. So that means it’s time to salvage something - avoiding a loss in Ann Arbor to in-state rival Michigan State (4-3, 2-2).</p> <p>5a. Boise State and 5b. UNLV. The game of the year in the Mountain West regular season? Quite possibly as Boise State (5-1, 2-0) visits UNLV (6-1, 2-0) on Friday night in a matchup that could ultimately decide who plays host to the conference title game. (Though Colorado State and San Diego State, which are also still unbeaten in league play, might have something to say about that).</p> <p>- - -</p> <p>Heisman watch</p> <p>The latest look at the race for the stiff-arming statue.</p> <p>1. RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (1,248 yards, 17 touchdowns rushing; nine catches for 39 yards and one TD receiving). The man is averaging 9.9 yards per carry, and now he is rested after an open date. Look out, UNLV. (Last week: 1)</p> <p>2. QB Cameron Ward, Miami (2,538 yards, 24 TDs, five INTs passing; 190 yards, three TDs rushing). The Hurricanes remained undefeated after Ward threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns last week at Louisville. As long as Miami keeps winning, it’s hard to envision a healthy Ward fading from contention. (LW: 2)</p> <p>3. QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (2,080 yards, 15 TDs, four INTs passing; 92 yards, four TDs rushing). No complaints about Gabriel’s encore after his performance against Ohio State, even if it did happen against Purdue. The Ducks star completed 21 of 25 for 290 yards, two touchdowns and an interception and now moves on to a home game against Illinois. (LW: 3)</p> <p>4. QB Bryson Daily, Army (629 yards, seven TDs, zero INTs passing; 909 yards, 19 TDs rushing). The FBS leader in rushing touchdowns after a 171-yard, five-touchdown showing against East Carolina, Daily has uncorked six consecutive 100-yard days for the Black Knights. (LW: Not ranked)</p> <p>5. QB Blake Horvath, Navy (888 yards, 10 TDs, one INT passing; 621 yards, 10 TDs rushing). The Midshipmen didn’t need Horvath to put up huge numbers against Charlotte, but he still threw for three touchdowns in a 51-17 rout. Notre Dame awaits on Saturday in Horvath’s most imposing test to date. (LW: 6)</p> <p>6. QB Kurtis Rourke, Indiana (1,941 yards, 15 TDs, three INTs passing; 45 yards, two TDs rushing). The sixth-year graduate transfer didn’t need to do much as the Hoosiers blitzed Nebraska, 56-7. He was 17 for 21 for 189 yards, a touchdown and an interception against the Cornhuskers and remains on the board as Indiana (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) prepares to entertain Washington even after he underwent thumb surgery that may force him to miss a week.</p>
