As the old adage goes, “That’s why they play the games.” Alabama had just vanquished their great nemesis. They were unbeaten and seemingly unstoppable and the remainder of this season had an air of inevitability to it. Alabama would finish number one, and someone else would take a desperate shot at dethroning the Tide for the crystal ball. Then along came Southeastern Conference newcomer Texas A&M. The Aggies had been respectable this season, but fell short in the second half in their two games against elite competition. Still, A&M had overachieved its expectations significantly this season and was ranked fifteenth going into the game. The Aggies executed their up-tempo spread offense to perfection in the first half, taking a stunning 20-0 lead on the home-standing Tide. Alabama was forced to play catch-up, which they have rarely been forced to do, and the transition to a comeback-oriented passing game was one that Alabama could not make. They pulled to within three points, but A. J. McCarron threw an interception on fourth-and-goal from the two yard line late in the fourth quarter to seal Alabama’s fate. McCarron threw two interceptions in this game after avoiding throwing any over the entire season so far. Suddenly, one year after featuring both participants in the BCS title game, the SEC is unlikely to get even one entrant. Instead, Kansas State will move up to the top spot in the BCS, with Oregon close behind. If the Wildcats reach the national title game, they will do it despite a preseason ranking of 22, the lowest of the BCS era for a championship participant, eclipsing even the record of Cam Newton’s Auburn team. Kansas State truly came out of nowhere this season.
