Alabama has lost two straight. A&M has three SEC losses. Here’s what you need for Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff on ABC.
By T-Rohn, Gridiron Gumbo · Posted Oct. 23, 2026
CONFIRMED: kickoff, TV, records, AP ranking, stats (ESPN, pulled Oct. 22, 2026), and the official SEC game-day availability report (posted 1:00 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24). REPORTED: betting line (DraftKings, as of 1:11 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, per ESPN’s DraftKings odds feed, matched against VegasInsider’s DraftKings column).
Updated Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 8:09 a.m. CT: injury lists now follow the SEC’s Friday report, and the line is DraftKings as of 8:09 a.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026.
Updated Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 11:11 a.m. CT: DraftKings line re-checked. DraftKings’ spread (Alabama -13.5) and total (49.5) are unchanged; Alabama’s side is priced -112 at DraftKings (the -108 shown at 8:09 a.m. CT DraftKings was the price on Texas A&M’s side).
Updated Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 1:11 p.m. CT: availability now follows the SEC’s game-day report (posted 1:00 p.m. CT). Alabama’s Zabien Brown, EJ Crowell and Racin Delgatty are out, DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. was added as out, and Texas A&M’s Anto Saka is a game-time decision. DraftKings line re-checked at 1:11 p.m. CT and unchanged.
The short version: Alabama (5-2, 3-2 SEC) has lost two straight. Texas A&M (4-3, 1-3 SEC) has dropped three SEC games. Somebody leaves Tuscaloosa on Saturday feeling a whole lot better.
For the Crimson Tide, a two-game skid is a crisis. In Aggieland, three SEC losses is a crisis. Both towns agree the real emergency is the drive-thru line at Saturday lunch.
When and where to watch
- Kickoff: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET)
- TV: ABC
- Site: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala. It’s Alabama’s homecoming game.
A 2:30 kickoff gives fans time to tailgate, find parking, and lose that parking spot to a motor home older than the press box.
Sources: Alabama’s official schedule, Texas A&M’s official schedule, and KBTX, which reports the SEC announced the time on Oct. 12. Homecoming per Alabama On SI.
Records and rankings
| Texas A&M | Alabama | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 4-3 | 5-2 |
| SEC | 1-3 | 3-2 |
| AP Top 25 (Oct. 18) | Unranked | No. 13 |
| Last game | W 41-0 vs. The Citadel | L 26-10 at Tennessee |
Sources: 12thman.com, RollTide.com, NCAA.com AP poll.
Alabama stayed at No. 6 in the AP poll after its 20-17 home loss to Georgia on Oct. 10. The 26-10 loss at Tennessee on Oct. 17 is what dropped it to No. 13 (AP poll of Oct. 11 via ESPN, NCAA.com Oct. 11, NCAA.com Oct. 18). Per Texas A&M’s official schedule, the Aggies beat Missouri State, Arizona State, Arkansas and The Citadel. They lost to Kentucky (31-21), at LSU (35-6) and at Missouri (27-6).
The Aggie road offense has run like I-10 through Houston at 5 p.m.: big engine, lots of noise, almost no distance.
By the numbers
| Stat (per game unless noted) | Texas A&M | Alabama |
|---|---|---|
| Total offense (yards) | 356.9 | 416.6 |
| Total defense (yards allowed) | 305.9 | 337.9 |
| Points scored | 29.4 | 39.3 |
| Points allowed | 17.1 | 21.4 |
| Turnover margin (season) | +5 | -1 |
Source: ESPN team statistics for Alabama and Texas A&M, 2026 regular season through seven games. Pulled Oct. 22, 2026. We checked the scoring numbers against both schools’ game results.
The quick read: Alabama has the better offense on paper. Texas A&M has the stingier defense and a big edge in turnovers. The Aggies’ defense gives up yards the way a grandma hands out candy: only after you’ve earned it, and only one butterscotch.
Who’s out (official)
CONFIRMED: These come from the SEC’s official game-day availability report, posted at 1:00 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24. The game-day report lists only Available, Game Time Decision or Out, and a player not on it is regarded as available. Out can also cover non-injury reasons. Compared with Friday’s report (posted 7:10 p.m. CT Oct. 23), Alabama DB Zabien Brown, RB EJ Crowell and OL Racin Delgatty went from doubtful to out, and DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. is newly listed out. Texas A&M DE Anto Saka went from questionable to game-time decision. A&M’s WR Mario Craver, DT DJ Hicks, LB Daymion Sanford and OL Trovon Baugh, probable Friday, are not on the game-day report, which means they are available, as is Alabama DL Fatutoa Henry.
- Alabama, out: WR Ryan Coleman-Williams, DB Zabien Brown, LB Desmond Umeozulu, RB EJ Crowell, DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., LB Cayden Jones, DB Nick Sherman, OL Racin Delgatty, DL Jeremiah Beaman, DL Terrance Green.
- Texas A&M, out: WR Terry Bussey, WR Kelshaun Johnson, OL Blake Ivy.
- Texas A&M, game-time decision: DE Anto Saka.
- Available (not on the game-day report): Texas A&M WR Mario Craver, DT DJ Hicks, LB Daymion Sanford, OL Trovon Baugh; Alabama DL Fatutoa Henry.
3 keys to the game
- Protect the football, Alabama. The Tide are -1 in turnovers this season. Tennessee had four takeaways to Alabama’s two last week, per RollTide.com. Texas A&M is +5 on the year. Our take: win the turnover battle and you’re likely holding the better hand late.
- Can the Aggies score on the road? A&M scored 6 points at LSU and 6 at Missouri. The Aggies need points away from Kyle Field against an Alabama team averaging 39.3 per game.
- Who fills in on the depth chart? Both teams have receivers ruled out, and Alabama is thin in the front seven. The SEC’s game-day report (1:00 p.m. CT) lists Alabama’s Brown, Crowell and Delgatty as out, along with DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., so Alabama’s depth gets tested.
What’s at stake in the SEC race
Alabama already has two conference losses. Per Alabama’s official schedule, it has no game Oct. 31, then plays at LSU on Nov. 7 and at Vanderbilt on Nov. 14. A third SEC loss would make the conference race much harder, and so would falling further in the poll before those trips.
Texas A&M is 1-3 in league play. A road win over a ranked Alabama would be its best result of the season and could get its year back on track. A loss would mean four SEC defeats before November. Like Alabama, the Aggies are off Oct. 31, per Texas A&M’s official schedule.
In Tuscaloosa, No. 13 feels like a rebuilding year. In College Station, beating No. 13 feels like a parade route.
The loser of this one gets an off-week of watching film. That’s like a cooking show where you have to eat your own burnt casserole.
The line
REPORTED: As of 1:11 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, DraftKings listed Alabama -13.5 (-112), total 49.5 (Over -115 / Under -105), moneylines Alabama -575 / Texas A&M +425 (ESPN’s DraftKings odds feed; the VegasInsider odds board showed the same DraftKings numbers when both were checked at 1:11 p.m. CT). Lines move, so check your book. 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Bottom line: Bama needs to stop the slide, and A&M needs to prove it can travel. One of them gets a much happier bus ride home.
A 13.5-point SEC spread is a suggestion, like a speed limit on I-20, a “short” yell practice, or “just a pinch” of cayenne.
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