🏈 @dennisdoddcbs: Texas A&M is my 2013 preseason No. 1. Am I nuts, wise, clairvoyant, crazy or just ti

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CecilHurt: RT @dennisdoddcbs: Texas A&M is my 2013 preseason No. 1. Am I nuts, wise, clairvoyant, crazy or just tired of Alabama? http://t.co/V ...

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Nuts or wise?

Clairvoyant or high?

Don't save your best stuff for Twitter. Bring it, right here. How can any right-minded human not pick Alabama to win again?

Me. Am I crazy?

If only because it has to end sometime, this Alabama thing has to end soon. Call it the Law of Aggie Averages. Texas A&M is the preseason No. 1 because it was the only team to beat the postseason No. 1 in 2012. That's a good place to start. So is the Heisman Trophy winner, who -- considering he is only a sophomore -- has yet to play his best game.

Oh, and did I mention the Aggies get Bama at home in the third week of the season? Sept. 14 might be the entire season for both teams. A win would vault A&M into national championship contention. The game comes early enough that the Tide could rehab themselves even with a loss.

Losing games at home in the past two Novembers hasn't been a big hurdle.

Why A&M? Why not?

A year ago we were questioning whether coach Kevin Sumlin could handle the SEC. Now he might rule it. Left tackle Luke Joeckel won the Outland Trophy in 2012. Right tackle Jake Matthews might be a favorite to win it in 2013.

Why A&M? Mike Evans was a 1,100-yard receiver as a freshman.

Why A&M? If there is a weakness it's in the secondary. That's not a bad place for your lone soft spot in the run-and-stop-the-run SEC.

Why A&M? Johnny Manziel lost to two teams last season. One -- Florida -- is off the schedule.

Why A&M? Because Johnny Football probably hasn't played his best game. In his last, best appearance he went for a Cotton Bowl-record 516 total yards against Oklahoma.

Why A&M? Why not? Make it eight in a row for the SEC, but the end of the line for Alabama.

[TABLE="class: data, width: 100%"]
<tbody>[TR="class: title"]
[TD="colspan: 3"]Dodd's Power Poll[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: label"]
[TD="width: 10%, align: left"]Rank[/TD]
[TD="width: 30%, align: left"]Team (Previous)[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Comment[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: row2"]
[TD="align: center"][SIZE=+3]1[/SIZE][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Texas A&M (3)
2012: 11-2
Conference: 6-2[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]A new quarterbacks coach for Johnny Football (Jake Spavital). A rebuilt offensive line. A reborn 12th Man. Tailback Ben Malena averaged 5.9 yards per carry. The biggest questions are on defense, where things can only get better. Quality defensive linemen tend to gravitate toward the SEC.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: row1"]
[TD="align: center"][SIZE=+3]2[/SIZE][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Alabama (4)
Overall: 13-1
Conference: 8-1[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]No Georgia, no South Carolina, no Florida on the schedule. Maybe the best quarterback this side of Johnny Manziel. How many teams have signal-callers with two championship rings? The upset is that the Tide aren't ranked first but that Sept. 14 visit to College Station may be the only blemish. And the Tide will have plenty of time to recover.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: row2"]
[TD="align: center"][SIZE=+3]3[/SIZE][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Stanford (7)
Overall: 12-2
Conference: 9-1[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]David Shaw has to replace Stepfan Taylor, but 10 starters return on defense. That's a good place to start for a program that is starting to contend for national championships, not only Pac-12 titles. Try to match the Cardinal's toughness. Oregon and Wisconsin are convinced.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: row1"]
[TD="align: center"][SIZE=+3]4[/SIZE][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Ohio State (2)
Overall: 12-0
Conference: 8-0[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]This time it counts. In Year 2 of Urban Meyer, the Buckeyes will dominate the Big Ten. Braxton Miller has a year on his Heisman resume. Drama, thy name is Big Ten. The toughest game may not be until Nov. 30 at Michigan. Some history there, we hear.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: row2"]
[TD="align: center"][SIZE=+3]5[/SIZE][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Oregon (8)
Overall: 12-1
Conference: 8-1[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Chip Kelly's schemes continue to flow upward to the NFL. Kelly hasn't just yet. Still, there is no sign the Ducks will slow down. De'Anthony Thomas is crazy fast, but look for Byron Marshall to also step up at tailback as a sophomore. If Oregon wins at Stanford, there may be bigger things in store in 2013.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: row1"]
[TD="align: center"][SIZE=+3]6[/SIZE][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Georgia (6)
Overall: 12-2
Conference: 7-2[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Aaron Murray has to be motivated. If not for a tipped pass in the SEC Championship Game, the Dawgs may be the reigning national champs. An absolutely loaded offense returns. We'll know about Georgia right away. They kick off against Clemson and South Carolina.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: row2"]
[TD="align: center"][SIZE=+3]7[/SIZE][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]South Carolina (11)
Overall: 11-2
Conference: 6-2[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]The Jadeveon Clowney Heisman run is going to be a gas to watch. We've reached the point where a defensive player can win the Stiff Arm. Steve Spurrier has a contract extension and two quarterbacks he trusts. Come to think about it, the Gamecocks' run at the SEC is going to be a gas to watch.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: row1"]
[TD="align: center"][SIZE=+3]8[/SIZE][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Florida (5)
Overall: 11-2
Conference: 7-1[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]The Sugar Bowl was bad. Real bad. Embarrassingly bad. It pointed up how the Gators are a potential top-five team but need to get the offense fixed to get to the next level. The Gators will continue to be a power back team. That's a good thing in the SEC. Big back Matt Jones replaces Mike Gillislee.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: row2"]
[TD="align: center"][SIZE=+3]9[/SIZE][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Clemson (14)
Overall: 11-2
Conference: 7-1[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]The Tigers showed guts to get to glory in the Chick-fil-A vs. LSU. Now they just have to carry it over to the regular season. Tajh Boyd is a Heisman contender, aided by receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins. The season begins (Georgia) and ends (South Carolina) with incredibly tough nonconference games.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: row1"]
[TD="align: center"][SIZE=+3]10[/SIZE][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Notre Dame (1)
Overall: 12-1
Conference: N/A[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Are the Irish back? Brian Kelly certainly is. Other than that, the biggest question surrounding the Irish: Consistency. They must follow up 12 wins with at least 10. Everett Golson will be settled in. Watch for DaVaris Daniels at receiver. Tailback Cierre Wood is going pro but there is plenty of depth. The schedule is typically tough. Will the Irish get the breaks/luck they had last season?[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

 

[Crimson&WhiteGecko]

Call me arrogant but I like our chances of playing the Aggies as the second game of the season coming off a bye. I like our chances alot!

 

[ElephantStomp]

I like our chances.

 

[planomateo]

Playing two mobile QB's back to back weeks...

And TAMU loses 3-WR's, LT, C.

I'll be in Kyle field for this game, tickets will be hard to get for this one.