At one point, the Texas A&M Aggies were a top-ten team. They were an undefeated top-ten team that lead the Oklahoma State Cowboys at home, in fact. Now, at 3-3 in the Big 12 thanks to some gut-wrenching close losses, the Aggies are simply fighting for a January bowl game. The Kansas State Wildcats, meanwhile, have a very outside shot at an appearance in the BCS. They're coming off of a thriller against the OSU Cowboys where they proved they can hang with the Big 12's elite.
Fans of both teams are looking across the ball and finding things to be pessimistic about. Kansas State Wildcats blog Bring On The Cats isn't exactly feeling great about their pass defense.
For a third straight week, we're going to watch a team move up and down the field throwing the ball. Swope and Fuller are going to find plenty of holes in our zone defense, and Texas A&M is 11th in the country in sacks allowed. We won't get pressure on Tannehill without blitzing, and we know we won't blitz.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M blog I Am The 12th Man is fearful of the Wildcats' rushing attack.
Kansas State's running game should present an interesting challenge to our defense. We're pretty decent stopping the run this season, but Snyder's use of single wing sets for his power running game expands the point of attack by two gaps, which means the defense has more area to cover. If you aren't accustomed to seeing it and prepared for it, this allows their offense to gash you time and again.
Game date, time: Saturday, November 12, 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Bill Snyder Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas
TV channel: ABC/ESPN3
Spread: Texas A&M favored by 5 1/2 points
Series history: Texas A&M leads 8-6
For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Texas A&M blog I Am The 12th Man and Kansas State blog Bring On The Cats. Here's the complete Week 11 College football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation's college football news hub for more.