No. 13 Alabama heads into Week 8 with urgency baked into the matchup, and the Crimson Tide will try to stop the slide when Texas A&M comes to town for a major SEC showdown.
Alabama opened the season 5-0, but back-to-back losses to Georgia and Tennessee knocked the Crimson Tide out of the top 10 and put more pressure on the rest of the schedule. With only one more ranked opponent left beyond this weekend, Alabama needs to keep winning if it wants a real shot at the College Football Playoff.
Texas A&M arrives with its own problems. The Aggies, who earned a playoff berth in 2025, are 4-3 overall and 1-3 in SEC play.
They did bounce back with a lopsided win over The Citadel, but that doesn’t erase what’s happened against quality opponents. Texas A&M has faced three ranked teams - Missouri, Kentucky and LSU - and lost each one by double digits.
In two of those games, the Aggies scored just six points.
That leaves Alabama in a strong spot at home, at least on paper. Oddsmakers have the Crimson Tide favored by more than two touchdowns.
The biggest question for Alabama is whether sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell can rediscover the rhythm that made him a Heisman candidate earlier in the season. His production has cooled sharply over the last two weeks.
Russell has been held under 200 passing yards in consecutive games, including a 147-yard performance in the loss to Tennessee. He threw two interceptions in that game and added a rushing touchdown.
Even with the recent dip, Russell’s season numbers still stand out. He has completed 67.5 percent of his passes for 1,746 yards and 12 touchdowns with four interceptions. He’s also been a factor as a runner, carrying the ball 57 times for 231 yards and five touchdowns.
Alabama’s offense has been explosive at times under Kalen DeBoer, and the Crimson Tide have scored at least 45 points in each of their five wins. But that unit has gone cold lately, failing to reach 20 points in each of the last two weeks. Now it draws a Texas A&M defense that has quietly been the strength of the team.
The Aggies rank 17th in adjusted EPA/Play, 20th in success rate and inside the top 30 in EPA/Pass and EPA/Rush. They’re also 12th nationally in third/fourth down success rate.
Alabama’s defense has been just as impressive. The Crimson Tide sit 10th in the country in adjusted EPA/Play and 11th in success rate, and they’ve been especially strong against the run, ranking fourth in rush success rate. That could create a tough day for Marcel Reed and a Texas A&M passing game that ranks 127th in the country in EPA/Pass.
The scoring history against ranked SEC opponents doesn’t offer much comfort for the Aggies either. Texas A&M has put up 21 points against one ranked league foe, then six and six in the other two.
With Alabama’s offense cooling off and Texas A&M’s attack struggling to produce against top competition, the total is drawing attention. The spread is wide enough to make the cover less appealing, but the better look here is the under, especially if the number stays in the 50s.
I’d understand picking the Crimson Tide to cover here, but I don’t love that the spread is now outside two touchdowns. Instead, I’m going to bet on both of these defenses and take the UNDER.
As long as this total remains in the 50s, the UNDER is worth a look on Saturday.
In Other News...
Alabama Pass Rush Problem Could Follow The Tide Into Texas A&M
The pass rush has become one of the more uncomfortable storylines around Alabama after the Tide managed just one sack in each of their last two games, both losses. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack has pointed to the same issue showing up again and again, with recent opponents getting the ball out quickly enough to blunt pressure before it can turn into a disruption.
Now the challenge appears to be waiting again with Texas A&M, which could bring a similar approach when it meets Alabama. If the Aggies are able to spread the ball around and keep the quarterback moving through reads fast, the Tide will need to find a way to create heat without relying on a rush that has not consistently gotten home lately. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces Growing Pressure To Stop This Slide Fast
Alabama heads into its matchup with Texas A&M carrying an unfamiliar weight after consecutive losses, the programs first back-to-back regular-season defeats since 2007. For a team used to setting the tone in the SEC, the timing could hardly be worse, especially with offensive issues starting up front and showing up in the passing game. The Tide have little margin to let the skid linger.
Texas A&M brings its own questions, but the Aggies have at least shown signs of improvement on defense, which only adds to the challenge Alabama is facing. Both teams need a response to steady their SEC standing, and for Alabama the pressure is about more than one result. It is about whether the slide gets stopped now, before it becomes something harder to shake. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Finally Has A Real Opening For AK Dear
AK Dear has spent most of the 2026 season waiting for his chance, and so far it has been a quiet one. The Alabama running back has only two carries for six yards, a number that reflects how limited his role has been since the season began, even after he arrived with the kind of recruiting buzz that made him one of the more intriguing young players on the roster.
Now the path looks a little more open. With EJ Crowell dealing with a knee injury and Alabama struggling to get much going on the ground, Dear could be in line for a bigger workload when the Crimson Tide face Texas A&M. He flashed promise in his debut season, but his usage has dipped this year, and this matchup may finally give Alabama a better look at what he can do with real touches. [Read more 🡒]