Kevin Sumlin shouldn't have a problem motivating his team this week, for the Aggies are 26-point underdogs to top-ranked Alabama.
Sumlin would rather have a problem.
"I've been on both sides," Sumlin said at Texas A&M's weekly football press conference. "Trust me, if you're a big favorite every week, you'd rather be that as a coach. It's a lot less stressful -- let me put it that way."
Sumlin knows all about stress.
A&M blew a 34-point lead in a 45-44 loss to UCLA to start the season. That wasn't the way to get the fan base to forget A&M's recent trio of 8-5 seasons in which it faded late each time.