Bowl Option Three, not going to happen
The other two bowl games aligned with the SEC are the Birmingham and Independence Bowls. Of all the possibilities that are out there, this seems the hardest to fathom. The Birmingham Bowl picks first and based on the current standings, the Aggies would have to collapse to fall here.
5-7 will not happen, but if it did, Sumlin would not be coaching in the bowl game. Losses to Mississippi State, Auburn and New Mexico would end it. 6-6 with the lone win coming against New Mexico would also end it for this staff. 7-5 with wins against one of the Mississippi schools and New Mexico would put the athletics director in an interesting spot. I still think a change happens.
8-4 is where things get tough. A 3-2 finish would be respectable, but I’m not sure the staff survives. The two losses better be close.
As for these two bowl games, I would say it is safe to go ahead and look past them. The 2017 Aggies are talented enough to win every game on the schedule and at the very least each game will be a lot like what we’ve seen in the first four conference games. Very close, who makes more plays in the fourth quarter, special teams and ultimately who wins the turnover battle.
I talked earlier about how excited the Aggie fan base is getting. Birmingham would be a nice place to visit and with the game being played on December 23rd which is a Saturday, a few Aggies might make the trip, but the problem is you’re playing against a team from the American Conference. Not very desirable to end the season.
The Independence Bowl is played on December 27th this year. Again a nice trip when you add the casino factor to the equation. I think all Aggies would agree, we’ve played in this game for the last time in 2009. To be selected as the 10th team to represent you conference would be great for most schools but not for Texas A&M.