SEC Mike comments on A&M's emergence under head man Mike Elko

Under the leadership of head coach Mike Elko, Texas A&M is a 7-2 football team with three more weeks guaranteed. Host of That SEC Podcast, Michael Bratton joined TexAgs Live to comment on the job of Elko, discuss other head coaches around the league and more.

Key notes from Michael Bratton interview

• The South Carolina loss certainly wasn't pretty. It said more about South Carolina than anything. They have been doing that to everyone they have played in the last couple of weeks. Texas A&M discovered that life at the top of the SEC isn't easy. 
   
• You and Billy Liucci said it perfectly in y'all's recap. South Carolina gives up sack after sack after sack. Those plays were there to be made by A&M. If they wrap up and make tackles against LaNorris Sellers, they probably win that game. It wasn't as lopsided as the score indicated. If they played again, I would like Texas A&M to win comfortably. 
   
• Losing Le'Veon Moss creates a huge question. Injuries are starting to pile up a little bit. Texas A&M was already a little deficient in offensive playmakers. Does this mean the season is done? Definitely not. If you beat Texas, you are in the playoffs, assuming you beat Auburn. How far Texas A&M could go in the playoffs is a huge question. Losing Moss limits that. 
   
• We are sitting here picking apart a potential ten-win season. It feels like we are talking about Georgia or Alabama of old. That is where Mike Elko has this program. 
   
• I went on The Paul Finebaum Show in the preseason and said Texas A&M would finish above Texas in the standings. That take was more about disrespecting Texas. They have three straight conference games coming up. 
   
• By all measures, Texas A&M has knocked it out of the park in year one. You would love to get the Notre Dame and South Carolina games back, but this is night and day different. 
   
• Next season, Texas A&M should be one of the favorites to win the national championship with the way Mike Elko has this thing going. His teams will get better and better every year. 
   
• Texas A&M could show up with their C-game and still win comfortably against New Mexico State. In the final month of the season, they essentially have two games. That favors Texas A&M, even though they are banged up. The bye week was good for Texas A&M. You basically get another one here with New Mexico State. 
   
• If Oklahoma and Arkansas can go into Auburn and win, I wouldn't be too worried if I were Texas A&M. I don't think it is quite as intimidating as it gets built to be. Auburn's defense is getting better and better. If A&M can get to twenty points, I think they win. 
   
• Their offense is pretty bad outside of Jarquez Hunter. They won't give him the ball for whatever reason. I have little confidence in Hugh Freeze to do anything besides a scandal. A&M has a massive coaching advantage in that game. 
   
• This is one of the first examples of a team possibly quitting now that they are out of the playoffs. There is an outside shot for LSU to get in. They can still make the SEC Championship, then they would have to win it. That is asking a lot for a team that just got torched by Alabama and Texas A&M. 
   
• The way they pay Brian Kelly with two losses in a row is unacceptable. What happens if it is three? I don't think he will be fired, but fans will start calling for it. His back is against the wall. Texas A&M broke Garrett Nussmeier. He had been phenomenal, but it has not been there in the last couple of weeks. They have to get him going. 
   
• LSU can't run the football. Their defense got exposed by Marcel Reed. That continued against Alabama. You have to believe that DJ Lagway is somewhat limited. Seeing him being a huge running threat coming off the injury is hard for me. I like LSU in this one. 
   
• The top of the SEC hot seat list next year will be Hugh Freeze. All he has to point to is recruiting. Lane Kiffin is going after his quarterback. Billy Napier shouldn't even keep his job. You have to put him near the top of the list, so I will put him at No. 2. I will put Brent Venables at No. 3. I was scratching my head when they gave him an extension. No one was going after him. If he did not have that buyout, I don't think he would be their coach after this season. 
   
• Arkansas's win total was 4.5. They can get to 7-5. They are a much better team than they were a year ago. Sam Pittman is doing a decent job. I am hearing he is close to the end. I don't think it is going to be a firing. I think he will retire. As long as he does not get killed by Texas, I think he is fine.
   
• Taylen Green could be one of the better quarterbacks in this conference next year. He is an elite player. Texas is going to move the ball up and down the field. Arkansas's pass defense is awful. Arkansas has to hold Texas to field goals. 
   
• Landon Jackson, one of the best defense linemen in the conference, will have a chance to show he can play at a high level against potential NFL offensive linemen. He has to have himself a day. Arkansas has to be effective in running the football. That is the recipe for an upset. I wish it were a night game. Imagine that Texas caught a scheduling break. 
   
• I would not put a 10-2 Texas in the CFP without a single win over a ranked opponent. For some reason, the committee loves Texas. I don't think they are an awful team, but being at No. 3 is striking. They would still get in based on what the committee values. 
   
• There are only five metrics the committee looks at. All this speculation and narratives are all BS. There is a formula, and whatever the formula spits out is where teams get ranked. Top 25 wins are supposed to be a top criterion. They have a big zero right there. Texas A&M is a playoff game for Texas.
   
• Jaxson Dart and Quinn Ewers, when healthy, have looked sharp. I was over the moon about Brady Cook. They brought back everybody on offense. It has been a travesty on that side of the football. Jalen Milroe, at times, looks like the best player in the country. He has only done that about twice in nine games. The quarterbacks people had at the top have not met their expectations. 
   
• The guys that people thought would be at the bottom are exceeding expectations. Diego Pavia has been a revelation. DJ Lagway has looked good. LaNorris Sellers is coming on. Marcel Reed has the best touchdown/interception ratio in the conference. The future is bright, but there has been a lack of star power at the quarterback position in the SEC. 
   
• Cousin Shane went to Columbia, Missouri and may still be hungover. He is the king of Columbia. We looked into going to the Georgia game, but tickets are astronomical. 
   
• It is a coin toss game. If Tennessee can go on the road and beat Georgia in Athens, they are good enough to win a national championship. This is the toughest test they can face. This may be a playoff elimination game for both teams. Everything is on the line. I like Georgia to win it. It is hard for me to see them not showing up two weeks in a row. They have not been elite, but we know they can be that. We saw that against Texas.