In today’s “Fact or Fiction: Contender Edition,” I look at three teams and decide whether their chances to contend are indeed FACT or FICTION..
1. Texas A&M Aggies
My Take: FACT
The only unbeaten team in SEC play is the Texas A&M Aggies. Mike Elko has come into College Station and completely turned this program around from what it was under Jimbo Fisher. After the Week Two loss to Notre Dame, many counted out the Aggies, but Elko has these players competing at an extremely high level. A&M took down LSU at home on Saturday, but they couldn’t have done it without the benching of Conner Weigman in favor of Marcel Reed. Reed ran for three second-half touchdowns against LSU and led the A&M offense down the field multiple times in the win. If Elko decides to go with Reed moving forward, the Aggies are extremely scary on both sides of the ball. The toughest opponent the Aggies will face the rest of this season is Texas, and if they win that game, A&M will be seriously feared heading into the playoff.
2. Indiana Hoosiers
My Take: FACT
The Indiana Hoosiers are first in the Big Ten eight weeks into the season— something nobody would’ve seen coming. They are tied with the Oregon Ducks in record, but have scored 32 more points than the Ducks, giving them the tiebreaker. With Curt Cignetti on the sideline, this team is for real. The Hoosiers’ next toughest game on their schedule will be on the road against Ohio State, where they have a real chance to win. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke will be back for that game, and a win could cement Indiana as serious contenders this season. The Hoosiers could easily make the Big Ten Championship, which would set them up for a playoff berth. If this team makes the playoff, watch out for the Hoosiers to make some serious noise come December.
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3. BYU Cougars
My Take: FICTION
BYU has been one of the most surprising teams this season, now leading the Big 12 with an 8-0 record. This team is extremely exciting, led by QB Jake Retzlaff, who has been one of the best stories in college football, throwing for 1,872 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. BYU has a serious chance to win the Big 12 conference as they are now 5-0 in conference play after they trounced UCF on Saturday. Winning the Big 12 would give BYU an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff, but it’s hard to see them being a serious contender. The Big 12 is a relatively weak conference this year, and this BYU team would not be able to stack up with the talent they would see in the College Football Playoff. As fun as this ride could be, it may ultimately end in disappointment—either in the regular season or the College Football Playoff.
