The countdown to football season is almost over as Texas A&M-UCLA approaches. Billy Liucci takes a look at the key matchups in the game and where the Ags must win to secure the victory in Pasadena.

Both Texas A&M and UCLA have All-American playmakers that are among college football's surest bets. Each program also has quite a few question marks entering 2017. As kickoff nears, both schools are hoping for positive answers.

Christian Kirk. Josh Rosen. Jaelen Phillips. Armani Watts. Current and future college football stars will meet in the Rose Bowl on Saturday as Texas A&M faces off with UCLA. Billy Liucci provides all the biggest names in this week's edition of 'Players to Watch.'

The routine has become so familiar that A&M fans cringe as soon as the ball is handed off, expecting opposing runners to chew up yardage at will. But the 2016 A&M defense showed real signs of turning the corner against a potent, balanced UCLA attack.

Labeled 'soft' by critics, the Aggie defense was anything but against vaunted QB Josh Rosen and a very good UCLA offense. A&M not only gave Rosen fits, but they showed marked improvement in stopping the run.

Sure it could have been cleaner, and it could have been easier on the collective blood pressure of thousands of Aggies. But Saturday's win against a determined UCLA team proved this team's toughness and suggests more good days are ahead.

After letting a mostly dominating performance almost slip away, the Aggies found just enough to scrape out an overtime win. The late drama capped an afternoon of particularly impressive rushing offense and defense for A&M.

Josh Rosen may be the best QB the Aggies have seen in the Sumlin era. Aggie defensive ends Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall will be key to containing him, and Garrett's battle wiith UCLA tackle Conor McDermott is a true future NFL matchup.

UCLA QB Josh Rosen is one of the best, but Donovan Wilson tends to find the ball no matter who is under center. That's one of several important matchups as the Aggies look for a signature home win against UCLA.