ARLINGTON, Texas -- With a month of football in the books, it's clear who has established itself as the top challenger to Alabama in the SEC West ... at least for now.
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Texas A&M.
Before you dismiss the No. 10 Aggies 4-0 start as fool's gold -- armed with a pair of 5-0 starts in 2014 and 2015 that fizzled to back-to-back 8-5 seasons as evidence -- take a look at how different these Aggies are.
Elite defense. Strong running game. Strong veteran presence. Senior quarterback.
Most of those things were missing the last two times the Aggies shot out of the gate so quickly.