NCAA Football
2026-10-24 - Texas A&M Aggies at Alabama Crimson Tide
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : College Football Week 8
Saturday 24th October 2026 - Scheduled 3:30pm EST
8:30pm (British Time)
Preview
It is the first time in almost twenty years that the Alabama Crimson Tide (5-2) have lost consecutive games in the regular season and they have been dropped to 3-2 in the SEC. These defeats to the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers are not fatal to their hopes of making the College Football Playoff, but the Crimson Tide are also well aware that they can ill-afford another defeat.
They will be going into a Bye Week following this game against the Texas A&M Aggies (4-3) who effectively were in a Bye last week when playing against an overmatched opponent.
The Aggies won, but they are just 1-3 in the SEC games played this season and they are in danger of failing to secure a winning record for the first time since 2022, while the defeats in the Conference means Texas A&M are unlikely to reach the College Football Playoff this season having secured a spot in 2025.
Marcel Reed was expected to display plenty of improvement in 2026 having put together a solid 2025 season, but the Quarter Back has struggled in 2026 and that has been one of the reasons the Aggies have had big issues on this side of the ball.
Running the ball to keep the pressure away from Reed is going to be tough for the Aggies against this Crimson Tide Defensive Line and that means it will be up to the Quarter Back to make his plays out of third and long spots. Some encouragement can be taken from the fact that the Alabama Secondary have run out of gas as they have been forced to spend a lot of time on the field and so Marcel Reed can make some big throws, although he will also need to be aware of the turnovers that can bee created by the Crimson Tide.
Texas A&M will want to see a bit more from the Offensive unit and the same can be said for the Crimson Tide who have scored twenty-seven points in the consecutive losses to the Bulldogs and Volunteers. Keelon Russell has struggled at Quarter Back, but he may feel this is a match up that is more favourable to Alabama as long as the Offensive Line can dig in and establish the run.
The Offensive Line struggled in run blocking against Georgia and Tennessee, but the Aggies Defensive Line have not been as consistently stout as those two teams and that is something the Alabama Crimson Tide will be looking to exploit. Ensuring Russell is in third and manageable spots will give Alabama a chance to bounce back from the consecutive defeats as they return to Tuscaloosa.
It is also important for the run to be established to help the Offensive Line in pass protection as they have allowed Keelon Russell to be harassed relentlessly in the last couple of games.
Making plays from third and manageable spots will give the Crimson Tide an opportunity to keep the chains moving, even against an Aggies Secondary that have played at a decent level all season.
This is a big spread for a team that may be lacking some confidence to cover, but the Texas A&M Aggies have suffered a couple of blowouts on the road at the LSU Tigers and Missouri Tigers. If Marcel Reed is not able to look after the ball, this could end up being another game that gets away from the Aggies in the second half and the Number 13 Ranked Alabama Crimson Tide can get back on track.
Prediction
Lay the points with the home favourite as they bid to snap a run of defeats that no one associated with the Alabama Crimson Tide will have been used to seeing.
The Pick :
Alabama Crimson Tide 34-17 Texas A&M Aggies
