Fact or Fiction: Auburn's place in SEC; Texas A&M's slow start
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
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1. Auburn is the fourth best team in the SEC
Farrell's take: FACT. A case could be made, and I've made it, that Auburn could be ranked No. 1 in the country based on the teams they've actually beaten and everyone knows how much I like the defense. However, do I think they are better than Alabama, Georgia or LSU? No. The difference? The play at quarterback.
Bo Nix has been very impressive so far this year as a true freshman, but you have to give the edge to Tua Tagovailoa, Jake Fromm and Joe Burrow, who have all been excellent. Two of them have been there before -- Tagovailoa and Fromm -- and Burrow looks like a different man. All four teams are very good, but when it comes down to balance and a complete team, Auburn falls short of the other three.
Gorney’s take: FACT. This is a really difficult one because Auburn could be anywhere from the second-best team in the conference (I still think Alabama is No. 1) to the fifth-best depending on how Florida looks this weekend against the Tigers. The conference is so absolutely loaded this season, but I just cannot see Auburn going undefeated with games at Florida and at LSU and then against Georgia and Alabama in November. Fourth seems about right, but the Auburn defense is so good especially up front that it can keep the Tigers in every game.
2. Minnesota should be a top 25 team.
Farrell's take: FACT. What's with a 3-2 Texas A&M team being ranked in the Top 25 by the AP? Do Michigan and SMU really belong in there? Yeah I know Minnesota hasn't beaten anyone great but neither has SMU and Michigan has beaten Army, Rutgers and Middle Tennessee State while getting killed by Wisconsin. A&M has already lost to two good teams in Clemson and Auburn, but with two losses, there is no way they should be ranked.
Minnesota hasn't looked pretty at all to go 4-0 (they should be 5-0 after Illinois this weekend) but let's give PJ Fleck some love. The Gophers are undefeated and belong in there.
Gorney’s take: FACT. This Minnesota team could be dangerous because quarterback Tanner Morgan is getting more comfortable each week. He’s also quietly playing really well and has four more TD passes already than Michigan QB Shea Patterson. The running game is good, the Gophers have some talented receivers and the defense is holding up.
Against Purdue, Minnesota was up 38-17 late in the third before the Boilermakers staged a late rally, but beating Fresno State was impressive and taking down that quirky Georgia Southern team was impressive as well. I don’t think seven or eight wins is out of the question at all, but the schedule does get much tougher.
3. Texas A&M is falling behind
Farrell's take: FACT. I know it's only Jimbo FIsher's second season and he needs to build a roster, but A&M is far from ready for prime time based on their losses this season and an unimpressive win over Arkansas.
But who are they falling behind? The elite of the SEC West or their recruiting rivals Texas and Oklahoma? The answer is both. Alabama, LSU and Auburn look like much better programs with younger talent than A&M does and Texas and Oklahoma are out-recruiting the Aggies in the region (as is LSU). I had high hopes for A&M this season under Kellen Mond to pull off a couple of upsets, but it's clear to me now that isn't going to happen and Jimbo has a huge job on his hand to turn this program around.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Texas A&M will be just fine. The Aggies’ two losses came against Clemson and Auburn, maybe two of the best three or four teams in the country, and yes they didn’t look sharp at all against Arkansas, but that’s always a tight rivalry game.
Texas A&M will probably be 3-3 after losing to Alabama next week and all this talk will pop up again, but then the Aggies should go on a run of winning four games in a row before finishing at Georgia and LSU. Going 7-5 is a huge disappointment, but this team isn’t ready yet to spar with Clemson, Auburn, Alabama, LSU and Georgia. That schedule is absolutely brutal and Mond is just an average quarterback.
Despite Farrell’s claims, Fisher is recruiting really well and could land the top three players in the state of Texas, the first time A&M would do that in Rivals history. It has been a slower-than-expected start, especially with what Fisher is getting paid, but he’s a great coach and will make them an SEC West player in the years to come.