It is the start of SEC play for Texas A&M as they host Auburn. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with an Auburn-Texas A&M prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Auburn Tigers enter the game at 3-0 on the year. They opened with a dominating win over UMASS. It was a 59-14 win. The next week it was a struggle against Cal. They scored midway through the fourth quarter to take the lead and get the win. It was a 14-10 victory in the game, in which they trailed for much of the game. Then it was a game against Samford, in which Auburn took a 45-13 lead. Quarterback play has not been great for Auburn, which has led head coach Hugh Freeze to say that both of their quarterbacks will be playing this week.
Texas A&M enters the game at 2-1. They opened with a win against New Mexico 52-10. The next week they went to Miami. After taking a 10-0 lead and then a 17-7 lead in the second quarter. Still, they were down 21-17 at the end of the half they were down 21-17. Texas A&M hit a field goal to make it a one-point game in the third quarter, but Miami took off from there. It was a 48-33 loss for Texas A&M. The Aggies would rebound the next week though, with a 47-3 win over Louisiana Monroe.
Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Auburn-Texas A&M Odds
Auburn: +8.5 (-115)
Texas A&M: -8.5 (-105)
Over: 51.5 (-105)
Under: 51.5 (-115)
How to Watch Auburn vs. Texas A&M
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN App
Time: 12:00 PM ET/ 9:00 AM PT
*Watch college football LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Auburn Will Cover The Spread
Auburn has been sending out Payton Thorne at quarterback this year. He has struggled at times this year. On the year he is 43-63 on the season for 517 yards and four touchdowns. While he has made six big-time throws according to PFF, he has also thrown three touchdowns. Thorne has also thrown three turnover-worthy passes this year. He has been fairly well-protected this year. Thorne has been pressured just 13 times this year on 75 dropbacks, but he had been sacked on five of those times.
He will split time with Robby Ashford. Ashford has thrown 13 passes this year and completed six for 61 yards and a touchdown. He has also run for 72 yards this year and four touchdowns. Running the ball well is going to be key for Auburn in this game. They struggled against Cal. Jarquez Hunter ran 11 times in the game for 53 yards. While his average point of first contact was over two yards beyond the line of scrimmage, he only caused one missed tackle and did not do much with the blocking. Further, he also had a fumble in the game. This year, Hunter has just 90 yards in two games on 22 carries.
Meanwhile, if Auburn can play defense like they did in the Cal game, they could come away with a win. Auburn got solid pass rushing in the game, getting 15 pressured on the quarterback with two sacks. Eugene Asante was great in the game with Cal. He made five pressures with a sack in the game. Auburn was also solid in the run game. On 35 rushes, Auburn had 24 stops for offensive failure. They also forced a fumble and only missed seven tackles in the game. Anante was big there too, making five stops for offensive failures.
Why Texas A&M Will Cover The Spread
Texas A&M is led by Conner Weigman at quarterback. This year he is 74 for 107 for 909 yards and eight touchdowns. His worst game of the year was against Miami. He went 31-55 in the game for 336 yards and two touchdowns. While he did make one big-time throw according to PFF, he did throw two interceptions in the game. The issue was pressure in the game. He was pressured 29 times on 57 dropbacks. While this led to just one sack, the pressure caused some accuracy issues in the game.
To help Weidman out, Evan Stewart needs to be a major part of the offense. Stewart missed the last game with an injury, but he has been solid this year. In two games he has brought in 19 of 27 targets for 257 yards and two touchdowns. He has brought in two of six contest catches on the year, but it is not all great. He has dropped two passes, allowed an interception, and fumbled once this year. Noah Thomas should also be back for this game in full. He has brought in 10 of 11 targets this year for 112 yards and three scores. He will need to continue to produce for Texas A&M to cover.
On defense, Texas A&M needs to be better. Against Miami, they struggled in the pass rush. The Aggies had just nine quarterbacks pressured in the game and came away with just two sacks. They also struggled in coverage. They allowed five passing touchdowns in that game while allowing 21 of 27 targets to be completed. The Aggies did not have a pass breakup or interception in the game while missing eight tackles in the passing game. Texas A&M was better in the run game though. They had 16 stops for offensive failure in the run game, led by Taurean York who had four. They did miss six tackles, but overall, slowed down the Miami run game, and they will need to be that again in this game against Auburn.
Final Auburn-Texas A&M Prediction & Pick
Texas A&M has allowed a fair amount of yards on the game this year, allowing 98.3 yards per game on the ground. With a dual-threat quarterback at Auburn, they will need to be solid there. Other than the Miami game, they have been solid in the passing game. All five of the passing touchdowns against them this year have come from the Miami game. With the Aggies struggling in the pass rush, Auburn is going to be able to score points. Auburn is going to score enough points to cover in this game. Expect a high-scoring game, and Auburn to cover 7.5.
Final Auburn-Texas A&M Prediction & Pick: Auburn +8.5 (-115) and Over 51.5 (-105)