Texas A&M Football: How Upset Loss Will Hurt Aggies' BCS Hopes

The No. 18 Arkansas Razorbacks upset the No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies 42-38 Saturday, after A&M let another big lead slip away in the second half.

Just like last week against Oklahoma State, the Aggies blew another comfortable halftime lead. A&M led 34-17 at the half against Arkansas, then were outscored 25-3 in the second half.

The Aggies are now 2-2 overall, 0-1 in the Big-12, and their hopes of playing in a BCS bowl game in January have severely diminished.

What Loss Means for A&M

Saturday's defeat to the Razorbacks is obviously a major blow to Texas A&M's hopes of making a BCS bowl, but the loss goes much deeper than that.

A&M has now lost their last seven games against teams from the SEC, which is the conference they will join next season.

The SEC is a much better conference than the Big-12, and there are many more quality teams. Each week is a real test, and the Aggies have to show up for four quarters to survive in the SEC.

Who's the Biggest Winner from A&M Loss?

For starters, Arkansas is a big winner today because their win against the Aggies gives them a quality non-conference win that will help their BCS ranking.

Texas Tech is A&M's opponent next week in a rivalry game, and the Red Raiders might be able to take advantage of an Aggies team lacking in confidence.

No. 15 Baylor, No. 16 South Florida, No. 17 Texas, and No. 19 Michigan will all jump A&M in the polls if each of them wins their Week 5 matchup, so they certainly benefit from the upset.

Does Texas A&M Have BCS Chance?

Texas A&M still has a way to qualify for a BCS bowl game, and that's by winning the Big-12 conference championship.

To do that will be very hard, however. The Aggies still have to play No. 15 Baylor in two weeks, No. 2 Oklahoma in November, and a season finale against No. 17 Texas on November 24.

The Aggies have enough quality opponents to make a run at climbing the BCS rankings later in the season, but winning the conference and earning the automatic BCS bowl qualification that comes with it is their best chance.

Biggest Thing to Fix

Texas A&M's biggest flaw that needs fixing is their inability to hold big leads against quality opponents.

The Aggies get off to great starts, but whether they get complacent, or bored, they can't be letting teams dominate them in the second half of games.

Blowing a 20-3 halftime lead last week and a 34-17 halftime lead this week is unacceptable.

This is a coaching problem as much as it is a players issue. The coaches have to be able to get the players to fight with a full effort for four quarters. Not only must they do that his season, next year when the Aggies are in the SEC they'll have to play with full effort for four quarters or they will really struggle.

Pivotal Turnaround Game

In two weeks the Aggies host No. 15 Baylor, and this is the game that could permanently ruin their BCS and Big-12 hopes.

If they can beat Texas Tech next week, the Aggies will have a good chance to beat a quality ranked opponent that they're competing with in the Big-12.

Beating the Baylor Bears and earning a crucial win against a division opponent who is ranked will help both their BCS and conference chances.

Who the Aggies Play Next

Texas A&M travels on the road to Big-12 in-state rival Texas Tech next week, which is a pivotal Big-12 matchup.

Every game is a must-win for the Aggies now, and the Red Raiders are 4-0 and are averaging 48 points per game, which ranks seventh in the nation.

Texas Tech's passing game is one of the best in the country, and is fully capable of erasing a big deficit.

The Aggies must bring their "A" game next week if they want to get their season back on track and earn a big conference win.

Nicholas Goss is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, follow him on Twitter for the latest sports news and updates.  Follow @NicholasGoss35