SEC Football: Previewing the four SEC December bowl games
By Abbey Giese
Belk Bowl
The Texas A&M Aggies (7-5, 4-4 SEC) will face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7-5, 4-4 ACC) in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. on Dec. 29. This will be an interesting game for the Aggies in light of the recent coaching change.
At the end of the regular season, Texas A&M fired Kevin Sumlin and hired Jimbo Fisher to replace him. Special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Jeff Banks will serve as the interim coach for the bowl game.
With Banks coaching in the bowl game, Fisher has had plenty of time to hit the recruiting trail, and he already landed his first commit from Jace Sternberger.
Fisher has wasted no time with trying to get his own team established with the Aggies. The current players will have to prove that they have earned their playing time when the new coach gets settled in next season, and they will have to compete with the players he recruits himself this year.
Playing well in the Belk Bowl could help the current players show Fisher that they are up for the challenge of earning their right to play for the new staff. However, the Demon Deacons are the favorite to win, and like Missouri in the Texas Bowl, the Aggies could face an away game atmosphere in their bowl game. Charlotte is only a little over an hour away from the Wake Forest campus.