Category Archives: Texas 8&4 Is a Cult

The weekend that was at MBG – week 6 edition

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You just lost to John Mateer.

Saturday was glorious. I hope the pollsters find some reason to continue to disrespect us and move Notre Dame to #1. Anyway, on a day like this the message boards once again didn’t disappoint and our geniuses didn’t show up even when it felt the game may be slipping away.

Let’s start today’s trip in Louisville on Friday night for Mike Norvell’s throwing away all of his goodwill from the week before away with 1 play call.

On the road up 14 and instead of going up by 3 scores, Norvell decides to go for it on the 2 yard line and then calls a play where the ball gets thrown behind the line of scrimmage. I don’t know if a field goal there changes the eventual outcome, but it allowed the floodgates to open on the next play from scrimmage when Louisville has a 97 yard run to cut the lead in half. If you’re going to go for it there, either line up and run or make sure you throw the ball into the end zone.

Norvell is a dead man walking at this point. The question is whether they can raise the money to buy out his contract plus his assistants.

Ouch.

Let’s move on to Hogtown where it hasn’t taken long for the Handbags’ season to start free fallin’.

-3 turnover margin gets you beat most Saturdays, and, most of the time, that team gets run out of the building. Giving up 10 of 16 3rd downs is not a good look for a Handbag defense that has multiple loseable games on the schedule left on the schedule. I wonder what the ticket market for the Cocktail Party on the Gator side of MBS is like right now as they get ready to head to Austin for a date with Texas who deep down knows their faceplant in Hogtown last fall was the reason they weren’t in the CFP.

Jonny Boy is finding out really quickly how fickle Handbags are. At this point, the Florida-FSU game may end up on the ACC Network+.

Let’s head to CoMo to check on the mental state of Drink’s latest beatdown victim … Texas 8&4.

That first post is truly genius worthy, or maybe a T-sip posing as an Aggie pulls a great troll.

Could the Missouri game in November end up as the biggest home game of the year? After the last 2 weeks, that appears likely now. Texas A&M is officially on tilt after their defense gets shredded for 252 rushing yards.

On the other side, this stat line is horrible.

Yikes.

At 3-3, it could get ugly for Elko because the Aggie oilmen are more than happy to pay another buyout.

Speaking of little brothers, let’s look in on the Greater Opelika Cow College’s preparation for the DSOR (Dawgs, be loud on Saturday … no letdown).

Auburn fans are as bad as Tech nerds over their never-ending obsession with all things Bama. I’m not going to watch the Sa(t)an documentary for many reasons, but seeing a Barner call any program a bunch of cheaters is rich.

Let’s head to the west coast where the preseason national champions’ season is going up in smoke.

7 turnovers. 20:00 of time of possession. 73 yards rushing. 1 for 12 on 3rd down. Damn, just damn, Dan.

If Kirby decided he has had enough, Lanning would no longer be on my list of coaches I would want to pursue. He has every advantage a first time head coach would want, yet he finds ways to lose games where his team is more talented.

Let’s head to Dallas to check on the status of “Texas is back!” after Sark and Arch fail yet again.

To the genius that fires a stray at Kirby, I’m sure Kirby is worried about your opinion. Texas gets exposed by Oklahoma’s defense, and the Archduke is officially out of the Heisman race after throwing 2 backbreaking picks in the 4th quarter. Steve Sarkisian has to be looking at the fine print in his contract after this one. Oklahoma was dreadful on offense again, but Mateer makes 2 throws that make all the difference in crunch time.

That “best team money can buy” strategy appears to be exploding in Texass’s face. Speaking of programs overspending on NIL …

Let’s head back to horse/bourbon country to check in with the Corn Dogs after losing to Kentucky.

I know a lot of LSU fans aren’t that smart, but that genius doesn’t understand the basics of what $19 million really means. A quick Google search mentioned the following: A waterfront mansion in Ft. Lauderdale, a super-yacht, or a portfolio that generates $760k a year (conservatively without touching the principal).

On to the game itself, Kentucky goes for the win in the first overtime for the 2nd week in a row and lives to tell about it. If this keeps up Will Stein may be in line for SEC CotY. There isn’t a game left on the schedule that Kentucky can’t win starting on Saturday night in Norman where they open as a 6.5 point underdog.

On the other side, LSU is fortunate the game went to overtime after 2 turnovers in their own territory both resulted in no points. The Cajuns adored Kiffin in December and are now turning on him in October. They still have upcoming games against Texas and Alabama which I’m sure Disney will put at night in Death Valley.

This will hurt:

Let’s move on to our last spot of the night … west Alabama where the Dawgs win with a flair for the dramatic.

There’s been plenty of cloud storage used over the 36 hours about the officiating and the embarrassment of Fowler and Herbstreit. Dawg in Austin’s observations post from yesterday is a tour de force in analysis if you haven’t yet read it.

My take on Saturday night is that this was a win for the culture and values of the program as created by Kirby Smart. I have said for 10 years now that Kirby took the Process of Saban and put a human face on it.

Connection – Even when Sacovie muffed the punt (thank goodness for Blake Stewart), Kirby and some players made it clear that they were behind him. He made a clear fair catch of the next one.

Composure – It would have been easy for the team to lose their composure as Alabama turned the game in the 2nd quarter, but clearly the team did not leave the field for halftime discouraged.

Resilience – The first drive of the 2nd half was resilience in action. That was coming off the mat and pulling up the defense after the late 2nd quarter drive.

Physicality – The drive chart of the 2nd half was a beauty to behold: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:22 (TD); 11 plays, 69 yards, 6:20 (Missed FG); 10 plays, 84 yards, 5:19 (FG); and 8 plays, 40 yards, 3:10 (End of game).

G.A.T.A.

What did you see this weekend that made you laugh out loud? Let us know in the comments.

It’s a Third Party, And Everyone’s Invited

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In what should come as a surprise to literally no one at all, the College Sports Commission has discovered that several programs, including an unnamed 10 Power Four programs, have violated the NIL spending cap by going around the backdoor and working with third party vendors to boost their revenue sharing agreements.

Any money a student-athlete receives from a third-party must clear the CSC approval process, where it’s examined to see if the deal meets a fair-market range of compensation. In July, the CSC amended its rules to exempt all deals between $600 and $15,000 from the range of compensation review as long as that athlete has made $50,000 or less in “associated” deals. If the athlete is above that $50,000 number, the review is back in effect. 

With seven college football rosters ballooning into $40 and, in a few cases, $50 million range, according to previous CBS Sports reporting, schools are spending well beyond the rev share number, which is meant to serve for all sports. Given $40 million football rosters and $10-million-plus basketball rosters just to be competitive, schools are attempting to generate tens of millions in third-party money for their athletes just to remain competitive. There is no cap on how much a team can spend as long as the deals are submitted and approved as being in accordance with the fair market range of compensation through the CSC’s process. 

In September, the CSC reported that through its platform NIL GO it had cleared $227.25 million in deals between July 1 and Aug. 31. However, it failed to clear $67.08 million during that period in deals that did not meet fair-market-value standards or the terms of the House Settlement agreement. 

While the article doesn’t name anyone in particular, one program unsurprisingly rose to the top of the media outlets as being a guilty party:

As word would have it, Marcel Reed’s 2.8 million dollar NIL deal was brokered and listed as part of the athletic department’s “agricultural equipment” budget.

It’s kind of like we’ve welcomed the mafia into college football, not only from the betting sense with gambling site ads all over the games and even on ESPN, but to allowing people like Al Capone and his famed accountant to cook the books to make programs richer.

And the better question, once it’s discovered who these teams are, is what are the results? If a team gets busted for violating the spending cap and doesn’t have the results to show for it, what was it all for?

One guess I have, and I’m no expert here, is that Kirby Smart and the UGAAA aren’t going to be named as a party of guilt in this matter. And I appreciate that, for sure.

The weekend that was at MBG – week 4 edition

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The day in a moment

The teams (except 1) at the top of the rankings flexed their collective muscles while others came crashing back down to reality. We saw the emergence of a future opponent we didn’t believe would be a challenge before the season. We saw another rival’s season officially go up in glorious flames.

Let’s start today on the banks of the Tennessee River where this week’s meteor game occurred.

Texas wins a game on the road where they don’t recover an onside kick, have a -2 turnover margin, and lose over 110 yards hidden yards in penalties including one of the most idiotic, tasteless celebration penalties you’ll ever see. The Longhorns generate 10 sacks and hold Tennessee to under 20 points.

Can we just stop the constant talk of how tough a place to play Kneeland Stadium is? The Tennessee faithful seem to be getting close to the end of their ropes with Heupel.

Let’s go up to the Big House to check in on the temperature of the Maize & Blue.

Talking about the Big 10 officiating screwing them is priceless. If they can’t beat Iowa at home, I don’t think Indiana, Oregon, UCLA(!) and Ohio State are too worried about Michigan especially on offense. You give up a kickoff return for a touchdown and take a likely sure 3 off the scoreboard by going for it on 4th and short. Regardless of what their record says, Michigan is 2-2.

Our next stop is the Kentucky Bourbon Trail to see how Louisville’s season seems to be imploding.

Yes, Cardinals, you aren’t a serious program. Karma is a bitch after your coach implies Georgia was scared to come play you. Wake Forest has become one of those programs that shouldn’t be competitive in this new world order of college football, yet they were competitive with Miami and has 2 Power 4 road wins.

Let’s swing into Hogtown to check on the Rebel Black Bear Land Sharks as they come crashing back to reality.

Florida runs (literally and figuratively) Ole Miss out of North Florida and drops half a hundred on them while doing it. 302 yards rushing, 60% 3rd down conversion and 2 players over 100 yards rushing each show us that Ole Miss is vulnerable on defense. Is Florida likely to be a tougher out on Halloween? Yes, but I also think we know the Faulkner offense now.

I give Pete Golding 2 years before he’s run out of Oxford.

Let’s drop into the Classic City in the aftermath of the Dawgs’ dismantling of the program that is destined to become the Nebraska of the SEC.

Stephen A. Smith was right this week when he told a former Sooner appearing with him … “You’re going to get your ass kicked.” That’s what happened on Saturday afternoon in Athens. The Dawgs play a C game on offense and beat Oklahoma by 28. If you had Ryan Puglisi taking snaps in this game on your preseason Bingo card, you may need to get to your closest casino.

John Mateer looked awful. Their offensive line was downright offensive especially in the run game where most of their 65 yards rushing came after the starting defense was on the sideline.

Chris Cole was everywhere. Talyn Taylor is becoming WR1 before our eyes. Special teams were spot on. This team continues to get better.

Jared Curtis is probably having nightmares already thinking about what awaits him Saturday afternoon.

Let’s head out west to check in on the Boy Wonder after his team shows their asses against Oregon.

Arrogant Nation gets smacked down by Oregon, and Dan Lanning lets west coast recruits know what the difference in the 2 programs is. America’s worst ChatGPT poet comes into the game after Dante Moore’s scary injury to lead the Ducks to the win. On the play in question, QBs should have to go to 1 knee to give themselves up. The hit wasn’t necessary and was about as vicious as it gets. The USC players’ celebration after the hit was as tasteless as Collin Simmons’s post-sack celebration earlier in the day.

That hit is what the targeting rule was meant to stop not some of the normal football plays where things happen when 2 large human beings collide.

Let’s come back east to drop into Tuscaloosa as things slowly come apart for the Gamecocks.

Dylan Stewart makes an ass of himself. Shane Beamer’s time at South Carolina is going to come to an end. South Carolina ran for 216 yards on Alabama but scored just 18 points. Bama has found their QB in Russell. The Cocks had a chance to jump on Bama early and missed a field goal due a penalty. The next drive they try on the dumbest version of a QB sneak on 4th down. Then the floodgates opened.

I believe the Dawgs are getting ready to go to Tuscaloosa and make a statement in 2 weeks.

Let’s move on to the Bayou where another former Big 12 SEC member’s season is officially on the brink staring into the abyss.

Texas A&M, you ain’t hiring Nick Saban. If Texas couldn’t convince him to leave Bama, you aren’t going to convince him to come out of a retirement that he seems to love. You need a quarterback more than anything. Marcel Reed is worse than John Mateer. At least, Mateer can make an accurate throw when given time.

I could have posted another submission making fun of Elko’s body shape, but that has gotten old.

Little brother is in trouble.

Let’s end this week’s trip as the Nerds of North Avenue fear the Tree in Palo Alto and StinkTalk didn’t disappoint. The end of the Drought draws nearer.

Ken Whisenhunt is the nerds’ Obi-Wan Kenobi. 12 penalties, -2 turnover margin, and 4th and 45 tell me they aren’t the geniuses on the field we’re supposed to believe they are.

The Jacketasses may not be a point spread favorite again this season (at home against Boston College may be the exception).

Pain is coming in Sanford in November, and I can’t wait to see us make them quit.

The only problem with that is that StinkTalk won’t be open for lurking. #firstworldproblems

What caught your eye this week? Let us know in the comments.

Tell Me Again Not to Complain About the Entertainment

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Good God almighty, what has ESPN done?

Alabama vs South Carolina could be one of the premier games of the 2026 SEC season, as could Florida at Missouri…and your evening entertainment for the SEC on October 3rd is a toss up between Arkansas and TAMU or LSU vs McNeese State?

I’d rather have MSU and Bama at 3:30 and a nightcap of Florida at Missouri. Frankly, they could not televise the LSU game and I don’t know if anyone outside of Louisiana would miss it.

It’s 2026, and I still DGAF about Arkansas or A&M. What is this?

The weekend that was at MBG – week 3 edition

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Maybe those pros would have helped you

We had a weekend with some upsets and one location of hate that boiled over in the genteel hamlet of Oxford. We had an inexplicable loss in College Station and a rout in Fayette Nam.

Let’s start our trip around the message board universe in Music City.

To say that loss is head scratching is an understatement. How you lose that game is a systemic failure across coaches and players. I didn’t see the run-up to the game’s last play, but if Doeren didn’t know if the QB knew what to do, call time out and tell him exactly what you want him to do. If you don’t trust Bailey to execute the plan, tell the punter to take the ball and run out of the back of the end zone for a safety or just punt.

Given some of the struggles Vandy has had this year so far, I expect us to inflict a lot of pain in 2 weeks’ time.

Here’s a brief text thread I had with a good friend who is a Pack fan (Dawg fan now, too).

Let’s move on to Fayetteville where the suits in Birmingham are keeping the Razorbacks down.

Both of the DPI calls were legitimate. Of course, the 2nd one should have never happened because Bobo should have run the ball on 1st down and scored. Of course it did lead to Helton’s clean-out of the Arkansas left side of its defense.

I admit I was worried that we weren’t going to be focused. After the first offensive series, that concern quickly disappeared. It does seem like a lot of us have gotten a bit spoiled about winning with style points.

Let’s head to back to the South Carolina Upstate where some geniuses don’t seem to like the makeup of the Clemson roster.

Clemson beats North Carolina (how long is the Belichick experiment going to continue) again. The Tigers scuffed around and eventually got the win, but UNC ran for a bunch of yards. Other than the Miami game, Clemson probably does have the talent (other than what the genius thinks) to win every other game on the schedule. They head out west for ACC After Dark in Berkeley (shakes head) before turning around to host Miami. If Saturday night goes sideways, there is no telling what folks in Greater Anderson will do.

Let’s head to Tuscaloosa where the Seminole faithful think Dumbo is their only hope after another loss post 63-3.

Florida State competed with Alabama until they didn’t. This game is a a perfect example of what the middle 8 are all about. Bama is down 21-6 entering the middle 8. They leave the middle 8 up by 2 after a TD on the opening drive of the 2nd half. Norvell completely mismanaged the end of the 2nd quarter especially on FSU’s last real possession before the half. Run it 3 times there and get a first down to then go hurry up or force Alabama to use their timeouts if they wanted to get the ball back. After the 2nd down sack, DeBoer smelled blood in the water and went after it. Still, FSU cut the lead to 7 late but then couldn’t get one more stop in Tuscaloosa.

The Alabama program has fallen so far off its perch that the crowd was doing the War Chant at the end of a game that honestly FSU had no business even being competitive in.

On the topic of the genius’s post, I’m sure Jimmy Sexton would love for those in Tallahassee to hire his client to wake up the echoes of Seminole football. After the way things ended in College Station with the best roster money can buy, I can’t see him bringing things back.

And speaking of geniuses with a smartphone.

Anytime Kanell twiXes, he ends up being community noted all over the place. Maybe he just wants the engagement, but the way people dunk on him online makes you feel sorry for him … almost.

Let’s cruise on down to College Station where once again Texas 8&4 is showing their true colors.

Every time the Aggies lose, their geniuses make light of Mike Elko’s weight. The real problem is that Marcel Reid is consistently overrated. He’s a turnover machine with both interceptions occurring deep in Kentucky territory where they killed scoring chances. Of course, Elko goes for a 4th and 1 in the red zone on the game‘s first drive and they don’t get it. Elko is talked about as this defensive genius, but 3 of Kentucky’s 4 TD drives are 75 yards or longer. That’s pretty lousy to me. He won games at Duke … big damn deal … he’s in the big leagues now and is probably going to a get a whopper of a buyout in a couple of year.

I hear Columbia, South Carolina is nice this time of year. The Cock faithful take it on the chin again but keep coming back for more.

I said before the season in the MP question that Shane Beamer was going to be the first head coach shown the door. After losing to Mississippi State, I see no reason to back off that prediction. South Carolina fans are a special breed … they keep buying tickets and supporting the program just to get let down by the program when it has a chance to make something positive happen. Kamario Taylor is becoming all of the things people said 18 months ago about LaNorris Sellers. That has to sting Gamecock fans.

Once again, unless something changes quickly, the Clemson-South Carolina game is looking like an old Jefferson Pilot noon game called by the Daves. It may be a loser leaves town kind of game if things go sideways.

Let’s check on the friendly folks from Norman after their near escape against New Mexico.

Oklahoma scores 14 and only runs for 61 yards against New Mexico. Barry Switzer has to be fit to be tied watching this (I honestly don’t know the status of his health) knowing that his Oklahoma teams would drop 70+ on teams like this back in the day. Oklahoma drops to #24 in the coaches poll and completely out of the AP poll. I expect the Sooners to put up a fight in Athens on Saturday afternoon. Sooner X is not hopeful at all about this weekend.

Our final stop is to check in on the Corn Dogs whose mouths wrote a check too big for their team to cash.

I didn’t stay up for the full game on Saturday night, but Ole Miss took it to LSU in the 1st half and still almost let it slip away. Of course, the Kiffin Kancer made the postgame all about what he did to make Ole Miss football matter to their fan base. Trinidad Chambliss is a special player no doubt about it. They aren’t going to finish the season unbeaten if they can’t run for more 60 yards in a game with a mobile quarterback. I wasn’t sold on either team entering the season, and I’m still not.

There are some special people on LSU message boards and the first post tagged is proof of that. By the way, I don’t think Chambliss should be playing.

That’s it for this week. If you saw something funny, let us know in the comments.

Is Texas A&M Even in the SEC? If so, Why Haven’t We Ever Been There?

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At some point, one has to wonder if Kyle Field isn’t as mythical as aliens, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster. For some reason, no one from Georgia has ever seen it.

What are those last two? Oh, nothing, just the World Cup:

I guess it really exists. For some reason, I doubt I’ll ever have substantial enough reason to go since Georgia will likely never play there.

Maybe.

The weekend that was at MBG – 1st round edition

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Product of your schedule? 11-0 to 11-2.

The 1st round is in the books. I hate playoff expansion, but that’s another post for another day (and my side has lost that battle).

Because there were 2 Group of 5 teams getting boat-raced, there wasn’t much of note from the weekend on the message boards. We still came up with a few doozies. Let’s start today’s trip in Norman where the ghosts of Coach Bryant and Coach Wilkinson are spinning in their graves.

83 rushing yards … combined. Alabama flipped the script on Oklahoma by being terrible on offense but taking advantage of a defensive TD and special teams blunders to beat the Sooners in the rematch. The first half meltdown of the Bammer fan base was glorious to watch, and then Mateer throws the pick 6. I don’t know if Bama suckered Mateer into a bad decision or a receiver missed a signal, but it was horrible.

Oklahoma was wearing “Hard to Kill” (thanks, Kirby) shirts on the sideline, but Alabama once again proves you have to drive a stake through their heart when you have them down.

Bama now goes on to Pasadena to take on top-ranked Indiana. The Hoosiers should be on high upset alert.

Let’s move over to College Station as the Aggies quietly depart the CFP in Texas 8&4 fashion.

3 points on your home field? The vaunted TAMU defense gives up 175 yards rushing? -2 turnover margin?

Here might be the play that turned the game.

How do you give up 10 yards of field position on a perfect pooch punt from plus territory? I can imagine Kirby would blow a gasket for something like that. Then you give up a 56 yard run on the next play.

Hidden yardage gets teams beat.

Is Mike Elko a great coach? No. Is he a pretty good one? Yes.

How do Texas and Texas A&M fans feel today about Texas Tech being the only school left standing? I can only imagine.

We’re going to end our trip today by stopping off to check in on a fan base whose season is over. South Bend, Indiana.

Has there been a more obnoxious fan base on social media the last 2 weeks than this bunch of entitled crybabies? There was constant complaining on Friday and Saturday that the Irish would beat any of the 4 teams by 50 if they had just been given a chance.

These are the Yankees that Lewis Grizzard was talking about when he said, “Don’t come here and tell us how you do it in Cleveland. Delta is ready when you are.” You lost to the 2 teams on your schedule that made the playoff. You didn’t have a 13th data point like 1 other team. You had no quality win like the last of the 4.

You were as flawed as the others. Join a conference. I really do hope the other schools outside the ACC tell ND to pound sand on scheduling now.

That’s what I saw. Give me your thoughts in the comments.

Amateur Hour

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Jesus Christ.

A contract extension? And we’re publicizing it?

Let’s not skip past the last phrase “the highest paid wide receiver in Texas A&M history”? You’re not supposed to admit you’ve been paying players that long, Paaawwwwllllll!!!

All that money, and still no SEC Championships. Shame.

First look at the We Have Never Won Our Current Conference Bowl – Miami-Texas A&M preview

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Cringe-worthy

Saturday morning in College Station #7 Texas A&M and #10 Miami play at Kyle Field in the opener of the triple-header. The winner heads to the Cotton Bowl to face the CFP betting favorite, Ohio State. It’s amazing that neither of these teams has won their current conference since joining. What’s even more jarring at the degree of underachievement of these 2 programs is that they have combined for all of 1 appearance in their conference championship games.

Series record: Miami leads the series 3-1 and holds a 1 game winning streak in the series.

Last meeting: In 2023, the Canes beat the Aggies 48-33 at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami forces 3 turnovers and 41 points over the last 3 quarters to start the end of the Jimbo Fisher era.

Here’s one little tidbit from the game’s write-up: The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Colbie Young hauled in six passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Gambling degenerate facts: Caesar’s has Texas A&M as a 3.5 point favorite (essentially, home field) with a money line of -175 and a point total of 51.5.

How should a refugee watch this game: Whoever wins this game needs to come out of this game healthy to make Ohio State strain in Dallas. Both of these teams have the talent to make a run, so this game could be fun tot watch.

I know there will be a faction of refugees who are going to hate watch Carson Beck. I get it. His departure from Athens left something to be desired, and I think we can safely say both sides are better off for the decision he made.

Interesting statistic: 29.94% and 22.73% (3rd down conversion defense for Miami and Texas A&M, respectively)

Both of these teams get after the passer when they get you in 3rd and long. That’s the reason I believe either of these teams could be a problem for the Buckeyes. They force the QB to get rid of the ball quickly and then tackle the receiver before the sticks. The winner of Saturday’s game will be the team that stays in front of the chains and out of 3rd and long.

Early outlook: I’ve been struggling with a real feel for this game. Which Texas A&M team shows up on Saturday? The one that went into Notre Dame and won or the one that fell behind South Carolina 30-3 or completely faceplanted under pressure in Austin? A&M has a running game to lean on and a couple of dynamic playmakers on the outside. Miami has a QB that has played in a number of big games over the last 3 years (with mixed results). The Canes have a serious threat on the outside in Malachi Toney. Both teams have ferocious defensive lines.

I’m probably going to regret what I’m about to type, but I believe this game comes down to QB play. Give me the guy who has played in a lot more of these games and environments. Miami gets it done, but I would take the under as a betting man.

Final Score: Miami 24, Texas A&M 20

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.