The rivalry dating back over 100 years is still as personal and aggressive as ever. With one team’s playoff chances on the line, this game could go down to the wire.

This Saturday, the No. 20 ranked LSU Tigers take on the No. 3 ranked Texas A&M Aggies in Death Valley, meeting for the 64th time with LSU leading the series with 32 wins.

The Tigers and the Aggies faced off last year in College Station where the Aggies came out on top, 38-23 and now, LSU looks to avoid back-to-back losses to A&M.

The Aggies enter this matchup as the only undefeated team in the SEC. Led by quarterback Marcel Reed, the Aggies have a very explosive offense, ranking seventh in scoring in the SEC.

They are looking to extend their win streak to eight and make a statement in Death Valley.

For the Aggies to come out on top, they will have to disrupt LSU’s offensive line, take advantage of injuries as Linebacker Whit Weeks could potentially miss more time, and continue to convert on third downs as they lead the nation in conversion percentage.

LSU is coming off of a disappointing road loss against the Vanderbilt Commodores in a game that exposed both sides of the ball. Sitting at 5-2 with their playoff chances hanging by a thread, the Tigers need to win every game to be considered a contender.

For LSU to pull off the upset, they have to come out swinging early, protect Garrett Nussmier and give him time in the pocket, and finish red zone drives.

Head Coach Brian Kelly had this to say regarding the loss and what the team must focus on heading into Saturday.

“It’s a disappointing loss,” Kelly said. “It’s gonna sting, but they have to bounce back to reality and know that they have to play mistake free against an outstanding A&M team.”

Texas A&M is coming in as 2.5 point favorites, but LSU won’t back down from the fierce rivalry. Can the Tigers pull off redemption or will this be the end for the Tigers and their playoff hopes?