The BCS standings were thrown a wild curve ball on Saturday as the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide fell 29-24 to the Texas A&M Aggies.
The Aggies faced their biggest test in their first season since leaving the Big 12 to join the SEC and passed with flying colors. The team took a big lead behind quarterback Johnny Manziel and was able to hold off the defending national champions.
Alabama fell behind 20-0 in the first quarter and just ran out of time to recover. The team cut it to 29-24 and was prepared to receive the ball back on a punt after stopping a third down conversion with less than a minute left in the game.
But a rare mistake by the Crimson Tide, a neutral zone penalty, took any chance at a comeback away from Alabama and allowed the Aggies to close out the game.
The redshirt freshman Manziel was stellar once again for the Aggies, completing 24-of-31 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns.
"No moment is too big for him," coach Kevin Sumlin said. "If you're around him every day, I don't think it bothers him that much.
Manziel, who is nicknamed "Johnny Football" by the fans, has been a revelation this year, passing for 2,780 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushing for 1,014 yards and 15 touchdowns.
"We played with a chip on our shoulder," receiver Ryan Swope said. "We were just trying to make a statement that we could compete with anybody in this league."
Swope had a big game himself, catching 11 balls for 111 yards and a touchdown.
"We weren't stunned at all," Tide linebacker C.J. Mosley said. "As a defense, we knew they were going to make plays, that's what their offense depends on. They got a great quarterback, they got a great running back. We just have to settle down and play Alabama football."
The Alabama defense had been the best in the country entering Saturday's game, allowing less than the points per game. The 29 points scored by Texas A&M were by far the most allowed by Alabama this season, behind only LSU's 17 points from two weeks ago.
Alabama is still alive for the SEC championship game. If the Crimson Tide win against Auburn on Saturday, they will clinch the West division and a spot in the title game.
The Crimson Tide also still have an outside chance at the national championship game if someone ahead of them loses.
"Two of the three national championship teams that I coached lost a game," Saban said, counting one at LSU. "This team still has an opportunity to win the West and go to the SEC championship game and win a championship. There's still a lot for this team to play for."
After falling behind in the first quarter, the Crimson tide scored three straight times to cut the lead to 20-17. The Aggies responded in the fourth quarter, adding a touchdown and field goal to take a 29-17 lead. That's when A.J. McCarron got to work.
The senior quarterback attempted to bring Alabama from behind to win for the second time in two weeks.
McCarron threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper to being the score to 29-24 and was ready to get the ball back when the Alabama defense forced a punt by the Aggies. Then came the penalty.
"The players were told 'make sure you stay onsides, they are going to try to get you to jump offsides with a shift or a motion or something,' " Saban said.
According to the Associated Press, "McCarron completed 21-of-34 passes for 309 yard but also was intercepted twice, ending his streak without getting picked off at 291 passes."
The Crimson Tide were a two-touchdown favorite entering the game, but fell too far behind too early to make a comeback. Now, Alabama must hope for a loss by Notre Dame, Oregon or Kansas State, all of whom are ahead of them in the BCS.
