Alabama football is ready to flex vs. Texas A&M
Alabama football made a statement in their season opener against the Missouri Tigers, and they are ready to make another one against the Texas A&M Aggies. Texas A&M struggled in their win against the Vanderbilt Commodores, but they are expected to be better than what they showed last Saturday.
Now more than ever, the eye test matters. Without games between conferences, there is no objective way to compare most teams. Records will be distorted due to some conferences playing fewer games than the SEC. With all of this, the College Football Playoff committee will simply try to choose the four best teams in football, and that will mostly be determined by what they see every Saturday.
Because of this, Alabama football needs to do more than beat Texas A&M. They need to dominate in every aspect. Here are the keys to domination against the Aggies.
The second string needs to contribute
A dominant performance spans over four quarters. Alabama football needs to start strong, but it is more important that they finish strong as well. They failed to do so against the Missouri Tigers. The second-string offensive line failed to give Trey Sanders running lanes, and Bryce Young had little room to work with. The defense also failed to flex in the fourth quarter, giving up big plays and multiple scores.
There is no guarantee that the second string will play as a complete unit, but they will likely get reps individually at some point in the game. They need to have the same level of focus and determination that the starters do.