Both teams are playing to stay in the mix for their division titles, the Aggies in the SEC West and the Vols in the SEC West. Texas A&M i can't afford a second league loss if they hope to play in Atlanta in December. It's a similar situation for the Vols, who are a game behind No. 1 Georgia and might need to win out against league opponents to make the SEC title game.
One fact has been lost amid all the handwringing about Alabama’s offense: The defense is pretty good. Led by linebacker Dallas Turner and cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, the 12th-ranked Crimson Tide's defense has put the clamps on two straight opponents since a loss to No. 3 Texas where the team looked vulnerable on both sides of the ball. Alabama's defense even has the intimidating slogan to match DOA and it doesn’t stand for Defense of Alabama.