Arkansas would love to win its second straight Southwest Classic on Saturday. A victory would vault the program into legitimate, sustained national relevancy and could make the Hogs a contender – albeit, a small one – for the national title.
Down in College Station, Texas, however, things are a bit more dire. So much so, in fact, whispers around the Texas A&M program have uttered the words “must win.”
The Aggies have already had their letdown loss for the year (although, to be honest, they usually have two or three of those), lots of their fans think. Stumbling against Appalachian State in Week 2 was devastating, sending Texas A&M from No. 6 in the country to No. 24. And although last week’s bounce-back against Miami showed A&M wasn’t dead in the water, those aren’t exactly the late 1980s Hurricanes.
Beating Arkansas would put the Aggies back in the picture. Perhaps their dreams of a national title would need more recovery – beating Alabama, perhaps? – but a New Year’s bowl game is very much back on the table.
As for Arkansas, the Hogs have nothing to lose. Yes, they were expected to be 3-0 at this point, but they’re still the underdog and, really, they’re only in Year 2 of being a big-time player in the SEC. A loss to A&M would sting, but it’s hardly a back-breaker.
A&M on the other hand? How many times can Jimbo Fisher’s bunch underachieve before things hit the proverbial fan?
