As the college football regular season winds down, the games only grow in importance. On Week 12 Saturday, the SEC alone has its top triumvirate — Texas A&M, Alabama and Georgia — all facing potential upset opportunities. So, when Kirk Herbstreit joined SportsCenter shortly before ESPN’s College GameDay began, he picked out which of those three clubs is most likely to fall today.
Texas A&M is ranked third in the country and with a clean 9-0 record, while Alabama and Georgia fall in directly behind them, both at 8-1, with the Crimson Tide owning the head-to-head victory as separation. With the Aggies hosting a reeling South Carolina club, Alabama hosting an Oklahoma team that beat them last season, and Georgia hosting a surging Texas team — surely, one of those top-five SEC teams will falter.
“Well, I think it’s really not about question marks, it’s about consistency,” Herbstreit commented on the triad of SEC squads ahead of their Week 12 tests. “They all have points in time they’ve looked outstanding. You can make a case for them playing like they’re ready to roll into the postseason, and at times, they’ve been very frustrated.”
For Herbstreit, Oklahoma is a visiting team this week that could have a puncher’s chance in a top-five road matchup. That’s so long as quarterback John Mateer is fully back to his September form.
“I think Oklahoma is a very interesting team with John Mateer,” Herbstreit said. “Early in the year, with him making plays, then he had the thumb injury and they slowed down. I called the game in Knoxville a couple weeks ago and he came alive in that second half. Can he bottle that up today in Tuscaloosa and for the rest of the year? Because they’ve had a gauntlet to get through.”
Oklahoma Sooners running back Gavin Sawchuk (27) tries to get away from Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Jihaad Campbell (11) / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Kirk Herbstreit certainly isn’t placing much faith in the Gamecocks to pull off a shocker, but between Texas and Oklahoma, in their respective road games, he just likes OU’s chances.
“You know, Texas going into Athens, or is it Oklahoma going into Tuscaloosa,” Herbstreit stated. “I think the Sooners with Mateer, if he can scramble around and make plays, they can give Alabama all they can handle today.”
But when it comes to Alabama and Oklahoma, and Georgia and Texas, Herbstreit knows all four squads remain in postseason contention, but simply have to flash more consistency to end the year, starting with this Saturday.
“So I don’t know if it’s question marks, but I think it’s about, all four of these teams have to be more consistent. I think that’s what’s so great about the SEC today.”
