Alabama Football: Rating the Crimson Tide and Aggies position groups
By Ronald Evans
Oddsmakers have Alabama Football vs. Texas A&M so closely valued, that the spread has slipped to two points or less with the Crimson Tide as the favorite. The range of predictions from the two fanbases shows optimism for both teams to win, with some double-digit winning margins.
The FanSided site Gig’Em Gazette predicts the Aggies will win by two touchdowns. Not many Alabama fans have such exuberant belief in the Crimson Tide.
In fairness to the Aggies and their fans, Jimbo Fisher has built a roster justifying such optimism. A&M will play with its backup quarterback, but even so, the A&M talent level is not far from matching the Crimson Tide.
In a contest with what may be two evenly-matched teams, a result can come down to luck and officiating. Neither is predictable enough to discuss.
What can be done is compare the position groups for each team, with each group rated for possible advantage. The ratings below are split between slight advantage, advantage, and big advantage.
Alabama Football vs. Texas A&M Position Groups
Quarterback
Measured by the potential for explosive plays, Jalen Milroe has an edge over Max Johnson. Johnson has considerably more game experience with 18 previous starts in his college career. Jalen Milroe has only six. In a game that could be decided by turnovers, Johnson’s career record of 44 touchdown passes against eight interceptions cannot be ignored. Advantage – Texas A&M
Running Back
Le’Veon Moss is a quality back with a 6-yard average. He is also capable as a receiver. Aggies’ freshman Reuben Owens has not produced much on the ground so far, but he can be a serious receiving threat. The Crimson Tide has the better running back group, with multiple guys capable of outperforming Moss. Advantage – Alabama