It may be billed as a top-10 showdown, but there are light years between No. 1 Alabama and No. 6 Texas A&M, according to Gene Stallings.

The former Alabama coach and Texas A&M player under Paul "Bear" Bryant said Thursday he believes "Alabama is 20 points better than Texas A&M right now."

The Las Vegas line is floating right around 17 or 17.5.

"I have a lot of respect for Texas A&M, obviously, but they aren't as good a football team as Alabama is," Stallings told The Opening Kickoff on WNSP-FM 105.5. "Alabama can run the football. They can play defense. They score on special teams. They recover fumbles, return punts, and the game is in Tuscaloosa."

The Crimson Tide has 11 non-offensive touchdowns through seven games this season to lead the nation.

"Their defense, in my opinion, is second to none," Stalling explained when asked to compare it to the 1992 Alabama defense. "They are big, strong, and they pressure the quarterback. One of the things the secondary does is they don't miss tackles."

Not that the defense is the only reason to be high on the Tide. Alabama's offense, led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, continues to roll up impressive numbers, averaging more than 500 yards a game.

Stallings is as surprised as anyone by the meteoric rise of the freshman.

"(Former Texas A&M quarterback) Johnny Manziel was an electric-type quarterback, and I think this young man at Alabama is the same type," Stallings said. "He can run. He can get out of trouble. He's an accurate passer. He doesn't turn the ball over. I think for a true freshman, he's doing a fabulous job."

Stallings did say, however, if the game were in College Station, the line would be more like 12 or 14.

"But Alabama has great depth at every position," he said. "They are superbly coached. That's a tough combination to beat."