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The Mississippi State Bulldogs take on the Texas A&M Aggies. Check out our college football odds series for our Mississippi State Texas A&M prediction and pick. Find how to watch Mississippi State Texas A&M.
The Texas A&M Aggies might soon have a decision to make. Head coach Jimbo Fisher is plainly failing on the job. He was expected to make Texas A&M a national contender by the donors who helped pay his enormous salary. National observers and commentators weren't so sure that expectation was realistic, but the main point is that Texas A&M power brokers thought Fisher was so good that they showered him with money. A lot of money was devoted up front to Fisher before he had achieved anything in College Station. He came close to making the playoff in the 2020 pandemic season, but one has to remember that so much about the 2020 season was weird due to teams not having the ability to regularly practice. A lot of unusual things happened in 2020, such as Indiana losing only one regular-season game and Alex Grinch having a good defense under Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma. That season wasn't representative in a lot of ways. In hindsight, if that's the only really good season Jimbo Fisher has had at Texas A&M, it's an indication of how inadequate his performance has been.
The buyout math for Texas A&M is not friendly, due to the way the school has handled Fisher's compensation package. It would cost an arm and a leg — actually two arms and two legs — to buy out Fisher now. Most people in the industry think Fisher will stay on for one more year, but there's no doubt that the coach is on the hot seat and has to do something to change the equation in College Station.
If Fisher loses to Mississippi State, however, he might not be retained for 2024. There is real pressure on him to avoid another disastrous loss to save his job.
Here are the Mississippi State-Texas A&M College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Mississippi State-Texas A&M Odds
Mississippi State Bulldogs: +16.5 (-105)
Texas A&M Aggies: +16.5 (-115)
Over: 42.5 (-115)
Under: 42.5 (-105)
How To Watch Mississippi State vs Texas A&M
Time: 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT
TV: ESPN2
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Mississippi State Could Cover the Spread
The Texas A&M Aggies have not earned the benefit of the doubt in terms of being favored by a large margin. Is this a team worth trusting when covering a double-digit spread, and more precisely, a three-score spread (over 16 points)? A&M's offense hasn't been consistent this season. Little about this team has been consistent. The offensive line isn't reliable. Highly-ranked recruiting classes aren't translating into well-developed, well-coached players. Mississippi State isn't a particularly good team, but the Bulldogs have a decent defense and can keep this game close enough to cover the spread.
Why Texas A&M Could Cover the Spread
The Mississippi State Bulldogs have not had a good year. As much as Jimbo Fisher is on the hot seat at A&M (and he is), the other coach in this matchup is actually less likely to return for 2024. Zach Arnett was MSU's defensive coordinator in 2022 when Bulldog head coach Mike Leach died. Mississippi State made the decision to retain and promote Arnett to head coach for 2023, but it hasn't worked out well. Arnett radically remade the offense, and the personnel was not there to facilitate that change. Arnett will probably seek a fresh start somewhere else as a defensive coordinator in 2024. This is not a team likely to cover the spread on the road against a more talented opponent.
Final Mississippi State-Texas A&M Prediction & Pick
This is a game worth staying away from. Neither team is trustworthy.
Final Mississippi State-Texas A&M Prediction & Pick: Mississippi State +16.5
