Texas A&M (4-3, 1-3 SEC) at No. 13 Alabama (5-2, 3-2 SEC). Saturday, Oct. 24, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, ABC.
Your hosts are MK Strickland, a former Tide equestrian rider who reads blitz pickups like Southern Living, and Colt Wendeborn, a petroleum engineer who reports with his whole chest and explains every Aggie tradition, then explains the explanation.
Colt: HOWDY! I've brought you a tradition, explained. It's long.
MK: Howdy right back, sugar. Bryant-Denny is lovely this time of year. Roll Tide, and I mean that as a greeting. Mostly.
Players to watch
Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell has 1,746 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. Running back Trae'shawn Brown has 313 yards and five touchdowns. Linebacker Caleb Woodson leads with 53 tackles, Yhonzae Pierre has 3.5 sacks, and Bray Hubbard has two interceptions. Alabama scores 39.3 points per game, 12th in FBS.
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed has 1,227 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions. Running back K.J. Edwards has 317 yards. Wide receiver Isaiah Horton has 280 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Linebacker Ray Coney leads with 36 tackles. The Aggies allow 17.1 points per game (27th) and 164.1 passing yards (10th).
Colt: Tenth in pass defense! Let me yell that again!
What happened last week
Tennessee beat Alabama 26-10. The Tide managed 201 yards, turned it over four times and went 2 for 13 on third down. It was their first back-to-back regular-season losses since 2007. "The key was they were able to run the football," Kalen DeBoer said. Russell said afterward, "It was just a lack of a plan that I had. Just wasn't playing my game today."
Texas A&M beat The Citadel 41-0. Edwards ran 13 times for 116 yards, and Aaron Gregory caught six passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
MK: We straighten our pearls and move on, darling. Two in a row stings, but this barn has seen bad weather before.
Injuries and availability
The SEC's first official report for this game is due Oct. 21. Alabama wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams (415 receiving yards) missed the Tennessee game. Check the official report for his status and for both teams' lists before kickoff.
What the coaches are up to
DeBoer was hired Jan. 12, 2024, and went 9-4 and 11-4 in his first two seasons. His team opened 2026 scoring 48, 45, 50, 49 and 56 points before managing 17 against Georgia and 10 at Tennessee. After this game comes an open date, then LSU on Nov. 7.
Mike Elko was hired at Texas A&M on Nov. 27, 2023. His team is disciplined, 14th in FBS at 41.7 penalty yards per game. Opponents convert only 29.8% of third downs. The puzzle is the road: A&M scored six points in each of its two SEC road games.
Player storylines
Russell against a top-10 pass defense is the headline matchup. Reed's opening is in the red zone: Alabama allows a score on 95.7% of opponents' trips inside the 20, 134th in FBS. A&M's pass rush has only five sacks, which could give Russell time to get his plan back.
Colt: Red zone, Mary-Kathryn. That's where we'll yell loudest.
What's happening on campus
It's Homecoming in Tuscaloosa. Friday brings a pep rally, the queen announcement and a bonfire on the Quad. The alumni tent hosts Rock the Quad on Friday evening with the band Boomerang. Saturday's parade starts at 10 a.m. on Greensboro Avenue and travels down University Boulevard to the Quad. The Elephant Stomp, with the Million Dollar Band and Big Al, starts about an hour before kickoff outside Gorgas Library.
Anything else fun and true
Alabama leads the series 13-3. The last meeting was a 26-20 Alabama win in College Station on Oct. 7, 2023. Texas A&M's last win in Tuscaloosa was 29-24 in 2012, and Alabama has won five straight home meetings since. Alabama's elephant mascot, Big Al, debuted in 1980.
MK: Five straight at home, sugar. It's practically a family heirloom.
Colt: Heirlooms get passed down, ma'am! Gig 'em!
The Cover Window
My call: Alabama Crimson Tide 33, Texas A&M Aggies 20.