Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M: Ryan Tannehill Is Key to Aggies Victory

In a college football system where one loss can be the difference between a mediocre bowl game and the national championship, this showdown between Texas A&M and Oklahoma State is huge.

The No. 8 Aggies are hosting what seems to be the biggest game of their season as the No. 6-ranked Cowboys head into town.

The winner has a chance to continue on through the season in hopes of squaring off against Oklahoma for the Big 12 crown and possible BCS bid. The loser, on the other hand, will undoubtedly spill down the polls.

David Ubben of ESPN reports Aggies head coach Mike Sherman’s thoughts on the game:

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"It has explicit implications into who takes the early lead in the conference," Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said. "It’s huge."

Both teams are ranked in the top 10, and through three weeks both have looked deserving of top-10 rankings, 10-win seasons and hopeful BCS berths. This time, it's the undeniable game of the week in the Big 12, if not the game of the year.

"I don’t think you have to make a big deal," Sherman said of approaching a game of Saturday's magnitude. "You don’t have to beat it into their head. They hear things. They see things. They’re not stupid. They understand how important this game is for us."

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Everything that these teams have worked for since the end of last season is on the line, and they both know it.

The key will be composure in the big moments of the game. Both teams feature high-octane offenses and hard-hitting defenses.

Both teams are going to put up points, but it’s the team that can stay composed throughout the duration of the game that will come out on top.

Aggies quarterback, and former receiver, Ryan Tannehill took over the team near the end of last season and has been 7-1 as the starter so far.

In two games this season, he’s thrown 47-of-65 for 583 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

Tannehill gives the Aggies the edge over the Cowboys in this huge matchup. He’s a natural athlete that knows how to come up big in big moments.

In his debut at quarterback last season, he threw for a school-record 449 yards against Texas Tech.

He’s deadly accurate and just seems to make big plays in big-time situations.

Those are two things that Texas A&M will need him to do on Saturday.

Their season is essentially on the line, so composure and accuracy are going to be huge.

OSU won’t just roll over though, so the Aggies are going to have to muster up a few big plays in order to find themselves on top when all is said and done.

It’s a pressure-packed situation that calls for composure, accuracy and explosiveness out of a quarterback.

Ryan Tannehill possesses all those qualities and he will be the key to an Aggies victory.