Desmond Howard Defends Pick of Texas A&M As National Champions

Howard recently defended his College Football Playoff picks, including the Aggies as national champions.

As the Texas A&M Aggies prepare to start the 2022 season tomorrow against the Sam Houston State Bearkats, they do so with a wide range of expectations for the season. 

The Aggies are coming off an 8-4 season in 2021, but Jimbo Fisher and his staff brought in a historic 2022 recruiting class. A gauntlet of a schedule in SEC play could see Texas A&M be one year away for competing for a conference title. 

However, one analyst believes the Aggies are not only contenders in the SEC, but that they can claim a national championship. ESPN's Desmond Howard, who received plenty of flack for his pick, recently defended his take in an interview with Mackenzie Salmon on Sports Seriously.

“Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher, he’s been stacking top recruiting classes," Howard said. "They understand that to beat Alabama, you’re going to have to match strength in the trenches and they believe that they can do that. And then the perimeter takes care of itself."

"But you first got to match strength in the trenches at the line of scrimmage with Alabama. And I believe that Texas A&M returned a bunch of players on both sides of the ball in the trenches. They believe they can beat Alabama."

As well, Howard mentioned the potential impact that the offseason drama between Fisher and Saban over NIL could rally the Aggies even more behind their coach come Oct. 8. 

"Plus adding fuel to the fire, what Nick Saban said during the offseason," Howard said. "That’s when you circle the wagons and you really want to protect your coach and you go out there and you take your game to another level. I’m expecting that game to be a dog fight when they play.”

Whether or not the Aggies are a year away from competing for an SEC title against teams like Alabama and Georgia is yet to be seen. However, the talent is there, so don't be too shocked if they make a run at their first College Football Playoff appearance this season. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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