CESSNA’S PICK
There’s nothing like starting Southeastern Conference play with a must-win game.
Texas A&M’s loss to Appalachian State left it in a precarious position that seemingly has no end. A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher was glad his team blocked out the noise and grabbed a 17-9 victory over 13th-ranked Miami last week. Now it faces the same challenge against 10th-ranked Arkansas, which beat A&M last year and has the more veteran team led by one of the nation’s top dual-threat quarterbacks in KJ Jefferson.
Yet the 23rd-ranked Aggies are favored Saturday. Maybe the betting experts expect A&M to play like the nation’s sixth-ranked team, which would be better than No. 10. The problem is A&M has seldom played like a ranked team let alone a top 10 team in its first three games.
ARKANSAS 31,TEXAS A&M 27