With the SEC schedules already announced for 2015, it seems like a good time to look at three key games for Texas A&M next season:
Arizona State Sun Devils (Neutral Field, Saturday 5th September)
An opening day game out of conference against an impressive Arizona State team that went 10-3 last season. They won their bowl game against Duke and before that were one game away for the PAC-12 championship game but lost the decider to their rivals Arizona. This will be a tough game against a legitimate opponent in an out of conference game but the Aggies do have the advantage of the game being played in NRG Stadium in Houston so the crowd should certainly be on their side.
The Sun Devils had an explosive offence last year with Jaelen Strong impressing at Wide Receiver but he is moving onto the NFL. The new look Aggies defence will be tested early in a game that is likely to descend into a shootout. But it’ll be key for the Aggies to start the season with a win and gain some early momentum.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (Home, Saturday 3rd October)
The Bulldogs are the only team in the SEC West to have the same starting Quarterback from opening day in 2014 coming back this season in Dak Prescott. That makes them a dangerous opponent but they do lose the most starters out of any team in the division including power Running Back Josh Robinson who was an under-rated part of their offence last season. This means there are questions over whether Mississippi State will regress in 2015 after they fell apart in November of last season and then were outclassed in their bowl game by Georgia Tech.
Both teams will look at this game as being very winnable and they also both have very tough games the week before, Texas A&M face Arkansas in a neutral site game whilst Mississippi State visit Auburn. Meaning this could be a pivotal game in the season for both sides.
Ole Miss Rebels (Away, Saturday 24th October)
The Aggies always seemed to find a way to pull a victory out from the jaws of defeat against the Rebels. That was until last year when the impressive Ole Miss defense proved too much for Kenny Hill and the Aggies offence. This will be Texas A&M’s first game in 2015 that will take place outside of the state of Texas and its feasible that the Aggies could be 5-1 at this point with a chance to challenge for the SEC West.
Ole Miss returns a strong defence which stifled the Aggies in 2014 at Kyle Field but like their in-state rivals struggled mightily late in the season. Its another game which the Aggies will look at as being winnable if they are to have a successful season. The visit to Oxford, Mississippi will be followed by three straight home games so if the Aggies can sneak another win on the road here they’ll be well placed for a strong finish to the season.
