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As if college football couldn’t come any sooner, Jimbo Fisher dropped a bomb on us by lashing back at Nick Saban in his press conference last Thursday.

After weeks of Saban making snide comments about Texas A&M’s No. 1 ranked 2022 recruiting class, Fisher finally responded, and he did not hold back.

Take a drink every time Jimbo said “despicable.”

Alabama vs. Texas A&M: Oct. 8, time TBD

Oct. 8 has now turned into must-watch TV with this development being similar to a WWE promo. The best part about this? You can already bet on it at various sportsbooks, including at FanDuel.

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It’s safe to say Fisher is feeling confident after handing Alabama its only regular-season loss last season, 41-38. While the score says Texas A&M won, it came as a surprise, as Alabama won on the stat sheet. Nevertheless, a win is a win.

Now-departed quarterback Zach Calzada led the way with 285 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception while connecting with wide receiver Ainias Smith six times for 85 yards and two touchdowns.

The scoring pace came as a shock for Texas A&M, as it finished the season 53rd in Offensive Finishing Drives.


  Jimbo Fisher greets Nick Saban during their matchup in 2021. Getty Images Jimbo Fisher greets Nick Saban during their matchup in 2021. Getty Images

Texas A&M has questions at quarterback entering 2022 with Haynes King currently listed as the starter on the depth chart. King threw for 300 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in 2021 before an injury derailed his season.

While the Aggies come in with a low offensive TARP (Transferring Assets and Returning Production) of 58 percent, they will not be short on talent with the recruiting class Saban claims they paid for. The No. 1 class in the nation has plenty of time to jell together before the Oct. 8 matchup.

If a team is going to beat ’Bama, then its defense needs to step up. In recent years, Alabama has become a offensive juggernaut, buying into today’s pace of football.

This year will be no different with Heisman winner Bryce Young under center for Year 2.

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The Aggies did a modest job getting to him last time out, sacking Young four times and intercepting him once. The second half proved to be a different tale, with Alabama outscoring them in the third and fourth quarters.

New faces will be all over the defensive side for the Aggies this year, as they own a defensive TARP mark of 46 percent.

Don’t let Saban’s comments fool you; he is very much comfortable with his second-ranked recruiting class heading into this season — even if Fisher isn’t pleased with the way the czar of football gets his recruits.

It’s a Saban Revenge Tour, as Alabama lost to Georgia in the national championship, 33-18. It just so happens that the Aggies mark the first revenge game for the Tide.

Alabama vs. Texas A&M pick

It’s never easy projecting games out in advance, but there’s no chance I will go against a pissed-off Saban — especially at the current number of -16. I expect this spread to hit anywhere from -17.5 to -21.5 if Texas A&M stumbles early in the season against Miami.

While both are figuring out offensive questions, Alabama has more room to breathe with the best quarterback in college football returning.

There’s no chance Saban will take his foot off the gas. He probably wasn’t going to anyway, but this dustup added more fuel to the fire.

Grab Alabama now at anything under -17. Then, there’s a potential opportunity to add Texas A&M pregame for a small middle shot or wait for a blowout early for a larger gap.

Hell hath no fury like Saban’s scorn.

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