Texas A&M Football: Why does SI think Ole Miss will beat the Aggies?

I woke up today looking for positive Texas A&M Football news. Before I could get there, however, I was bombarded with news that Buzz Williams would be suspended at the Texas A&M Basketball program would be handed sanctions for recruiting violations. A setback, but I was determined to get the day going on a good note.

Then I ventured into Sports Illustrated territory.

SI’s Matt Galatzan published a post with way-too-early game predictions for Texas A&M vs. Ole Miss, a late-season game between the Aggies and Rebels. Obviously, it’s too early to give a well-informed prediction but it is worth looking into.

Sports Illustrated predicts the Texas A&M Football team will fall to Ole Miss in a late-season clash

Even though the Texas A&M Football team is being recognized as a better team in the preseason, Ole Miss is a sleeper to take down the Aggies — that much is undeniable. Still, they haven’t managed to topple Jimbo Fisher’s team since the legendary coach’s arrival.

Here’s what Galatzan said about the matchup.

"“The Aggies have traditionally handled Ole Miss, but the Rebels have always made it tough. Here, the Rebels offense is just a little bit too much, and the Aggies will fall victim to their second defeat of the season. ”"

Part of this is true — Fisher does not yet have a convincing win against Ole Miss. In three matchups, two were decided by a touchdown or less. The third game was separated by just two scores. Still, this has been a dominating head-to-head all-time series for the Aggies, with A&M taking home nine wins and Ole Miss with just a single victory.

This year could be different though, as the Rebels are prepping for a season with a great offensive mind in Lane Kiffin and one of their best quarterbacks in recent memory in Matt Corrall. Galatzan put extra emphasis on this in his small snippet on why the Rebels can take down the Aggies.

"“However, they cannot overlook the Rebels, who field one of, if not THE most dangerous offensive attack in the entire country behind the arm of Matt Corral, and the mind of Lane Kiffin.”"

Galatzan had the Aggies dropping this game in a 37-34 contest.

Still, Ole Miss had one of the worst defenses in the SEC last season, which was the only thing holding them back from being among the conference’s elite. With a few solid returning players and a couple of transfers coming in, their defense could see improvement. Even so, it’s hard to see them toppling the Aggies.

If I had to guess, this will be a relatively high-scoring affair with a similar outcome to that of the matchup from last season — a close win for Texas A&M. Still, the Rebels cannot be overlooked by the Aggies, especially if A&M manages to top Alabama four weeks prior. Texas A&M simply has too much potential on offense and too much returning talent on defense.