The Alabama Crimson Tide are faced with the Texas A&M Aggies. See our college football odds series for our prediction and choice for Texas A&M vs. South Carolina.
The Texas A&M Aggies have had a difficult season, and it won’t get any better now that quarterback Max Johnson is injured. It’s true that each of the previous two seasons, head coach Jimbo Fisher had to deal with quarterback injuries. That is unfortunate for him. However, it is more than reasonable to expect that Fisher can have a backup quarterback of commendable calibre, such that when the QB1 is out, the QB2 enables the offence to perform at a high level. This is especially true given that A&M attracted the top recruiting class in the nation for 2022 and given the resources he has at his disposal in College Station. Clearly, that is not the case.
Two weeks ago, Alabama could not have handed A&M more opportunities to steal a victory than it did, but the Aggies’ meagre passing attack was unable to take advantage. Despite A&M’s undeniable bad luck, the Aggies clearly lack the depth to contend for a national championship.
This circumstance has already existed in South Carolina. The Gamecocks have lately been in this predicament, to be more precise.
South Carolina faced a club that was using a backup quarterback earlier this month. In Lexington, the Gamecocks shut down Kentucky, holding a depleted Wildcat offence to only 14 points on a night when UK’s starter Will Levis wasn’t playing. No significant errors were made by Spencer Rattler. He let his defence secure the victory. He made no attempt to play the hero. 24-14 was the final score for South Carolina. That provides a solid framework for this matchup, in which South Carolina will once more compete against a team with a weak quarterback and a weak offensive scheme. The winning strategy is simple: run the ball, convert third downs, create straightforward plays, control field position and time of possession, and let the defence handle the bulk of the job.
Here are the NCAA football odds between Texas A&M and South Carolina, provided by FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Texas A&M-South Carolina Odds
Aggies of Texas A&M: -3 (-110)
Gamecocks of South Carolina: +3 (-110)
Over: 44.5 (-112) (-112)
Under: 44.5 (-108)
Why Texas A&M Could Cover the Spread
Spencer Rattler and the South Carolina passing attack can be stifled by the Aggies’ defence. This year, A&M has defeated weak offences and underwhelming quarterbacks, with a win over Miami and Tyler Van Dyke (17-9) serving as an illustrative example. Against South Carolina, Texas A&M can use that strategy in the same way. Although it won’t be attractive, it can still be useful.
Why South Carolina Could Cover the Spread
The Texas A&M offence will have a difficult time. South Carolina defeated Kentucky on the road by taking advantage of the absence of Will Levis for the Wildcats. In a home night game, South Carolina can now eat up A&M’s offence. The Gamecocks do not need to be imaginative or unique. They only need to take care of the essentials and avoid critical errors.
Final Texas A&M-South Carolina Prediction & Pick
The best wager, rather than selecting a team, is probably the under because this game is probably going to be relatively low scoring. South Carolina-Kentucky was a 38-point contest in which South Carolina’s opponent did not start its best quarterback. Once more, take the under.
Texas A&M-South Carolina is the final Pick and Prediction: Under 44.5
The first version of this article published on ClutchPoints: College Football Odds: Texas A&M vs. South Carolina prediction, odds, and pick – 10/22/2022.