Texas A&M has consistently ranked as one of the top spenders in college football, constantly boasting top notch facilities and recruiting classes ranked in the top five. But they have almost always disappointed, often finishing over .500 but rarely making it close to the elusive college football playoff bid they have been hunting for all these years. So when A&M rolled out their very impressive looking roster this year, I was expecting another 8-4 season, but all of a sudden, A&M is winning, and when I say winning I mean beating LSU and Notre Dame, rather than the usual Arkansas and Mississippi State. So what changed? A couple things. First of all, A&M’s offense is elite. Two of their running backs are averaging over five yards per carry, while quarterback Marcel Reed has 391 yards on the ground and 2,632 yards passing. On the receiving end of those passes are Mario Craver and KC Concepcion, who are both on pace to have close to or over 1,000 yard receiving if they reach the SEC championship. But one side of the ball can only win half a game, and this is when we see A&M’s true strength is their defense. A&M’s defense has combined for 38 sacks so far this season, as well as 9 forced fumbles. Of course, the big question is, why now? Why hasn’t A&M

been able to do this before? The big difference this year isn’t the talent, because A&M has always had talent. The difference is the coaching, as Mike Elko has managed to bring out the best in these players for what feels like the first time in A&M history. Furthermore, Elko has managed to win the second half, coming back from a 27 point deficit against South Carolina. As A&M moves closer to arch rival Texas and a potential SEC championship spot, that wealth of talent needs to continue to grow, and if it does, the college football world should be terrified.