'There is a lot on the line': SEC Mike talks stakes of A&M at Notre Dame

Key notes from Michael Bratton interview

• Another weekend of SEC action is right around the corner, and I couldn't be better.
   
• I'm leaning toward Texas A&M, but I don't know if that's good news given my predictions so far this season. Last year's matchup was critical for Notre Dame to propel them to the national championship game. The same could be said for A&M. I'd be feeling great about my prediction for A&M to make the College Football Playoff if they could win this game.
   
• It's compounded in this matchup because Notre Dame has only played one game against Miami. They looked solid, and they're a legitimate team, no doubt. However, their reputation is largely built on what they did last year. This is a different Notre Dame team with a different defensive coordinator, and they're currently dead last in average tackles for loss per game. If Marcel Reed has time, he'll have time to pick apart this Notre Dame defense.
   
• My question is, how good is A&M's defense? They haven't been bad, but they've been inconsistent through two games. If they can hold Notre Dame under or around 24 points, I think they're going to win this game.
   
• The beautiful thing is that A&M will have many more of these games with the schedule they have. Mike Elko has connections to Notre Dame, and he played them at Duke. Given the upcoming slate, we know how difficult it is to win on the road in the Southeastern Conference, and A&M knows that as well as anybody with upcoming trips to Arkansas, Missouri, LSU and Texas. Are you realistically going to go 3-1 in those road matchups? Probably not, and that's why I think this game is so big. If you can win this one and split those four, I think A&M is going to the College Football Playoff.
   
• If A&M loses, I'll probably come on here next week and say Notre Dame is a legit No. 5 team, so that might be a silver lining. Still, it would be a tough rebound, but that's the beauty of a 12-team playoff. One loss doesn't kill you. Heck, Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois. If A&M loses this game, it'll be the same old, same old narrative of A&M is going to go 8-4. Winning these big games is how you earn respect and prove that Elko has this thing going in the right direction. There is a lot on the line here.
   
• I don't watch a lot of Miami football, but I watched them in the opener. I was very curious about Notre Dame. You can make the argument that Miami and even Clemson aren't very good. It's a mistake to go too heavy on one game, and I don't have a lot of respect for Mario Cristobal, the head coach. I do have respect for Cristobal, the recruiter. Carson Beck looked good as well in the opener, so I think with the talent and that quarterback, Miami could be pretty good this year.
   
• It's not a rush to judgment on Billy Napier's entire tenure, but maybe this season. If South Florida beats Miami, they might be a lock for the College Football Playoff because nobody else out of the group of Five will have a better resume. I think Florida will play better football this week, but I don't expect them to beat LSU. I'm still picking Florida and the points. They should have won that USF game. They committed penalty after penalty. I don't think Florida is as bad as they looked last week, but maybe that's me refusing to believe it after hyping them up all offseason.
   
• Arkansas could very well be better than expected. This could be an SEC hangover Saturday. It's so hard to build a roster, and now, as soon as your stars leave, you can replace them via the portal. It has made it difficult to have teams that are consistent. I think there will be teams like Oklahoma, which just got a win over Michigan, playing at Temple. They might struggle. Missouri, after a huge win over Kansas, is playing Louisiana. I think they're going to struggle. LSU could've lost to Louisiana Tech after a win over Clemson. Consistency, week in and week out, will be very difficult to achieve, and maybe that's just the state of college football right now.
   
• Watch Taylen Green. I called him the biggest freak in the world as a compliment. He has the physical traits, and he has command of this Bobby Petrino offense. Against Arkansas State, he had two rushes for 101 yards and had two passing touchdowns by that point, too. He's on another planet from a physical standpoint. I think he might be the closest thing to Vince Young that we've seen in college football since.
   
• Reed was same old, same old. Of the returning quarterbacks in the conference, there is not a player who has taken his game up as much as Reed. I don't think A&M needs to force the issue with Reed. He looked like a million bucks once again. I'd still like to see him run a little less vs. UTSA and Utah State because they're going to need him to run vs. Notre Dame. He continues to progress as a passer, and it makes the A&M offense so hard to stop, which is why I expect them to have success this weekend.
   
• I'm going with Vanderbilt to get the big win over South Carolina on the road. I'm not sure there is a more efficient quarterback in the conference than Diego Pavia. These two teams played the same non-conference opponent in Virginia Tech. Pavia looked like a million bucks, and LaNorris Sellers did not. It's not all on Sellers, and a lot of it can be put on the offensive line. They've given up more sacks than any team in the SEC. I think Pavia is the better quarterback, and Eli Stowers might be the best tight end in America right now. I think Vanderbilt is the better team right now.
   
• I'm not buying that Auburn is for real just yet. I've trashed Hugh Freeze enough, so I want to give him his praise for beating Baylor on the road, which might be the biggest win of his tenure. That Ball State team they played last week, you and I could've made some of these throws that Jackson Arnold did because they were opened by about 20 yards. I'm reserving judgment until they play Oklahoma, A&M and Georgia.
   
• My opinion on Arch Manning has not really changed. My opinion the entire time was that the hype was unwarranted. I know he'll do well. In 2026, he may very well win the Heisman. This year, Texas is a defensive team that should lean on the ground game. Steve Sarkisian is not helping himself with the weirdest press conference moment I've seen in a long time. I think Manning is clearly hurt, and that has affected his performance because he has not looked very good at all to me.