2013 Texas A&M
College Football Preview
Current Odds and Schedule
Texas A&M surprised everyone last year in the college football world. They weren’t in the Top 25 to start the season and proceeded to finish with only two losses while playing in the best conference. Both of those came to the usual SEC powerhouses Florida and LSU. Their biggest win of the season came on the road at No. 1 ranked Alabama which was the final boost Johnny Manziel needed to win the Heisman. The Aggies then finished up the season by destroying Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl by 28 points. While their defense was a weakness in the middle of the season, they held down LAndry Jones and company to just 13 points in the bowl Game. Texas A&M has 11 returning starters with the defense taking the biggest hit. It will be key for that defense to come out playing well because they’ll see Alabama in early September.
Texas A&M is currently listed at odds of 10 to 1 to win the BCS Title Game which will be played January 7th n the Rose Bowl. Those odds are courtesy of 5 Dimes Sportsbook who also list other college football and NFL prop bets for the upcoming 2013-2014 College Football and NFL seasons.
2013 Texas A&M Football Schedule
Aug. 31 vs. Rice
Sept. 7 vs. Sam Houston State
Sept. 14 vs. Alabama
Sept. 21 vs. SMU
Sept. 28 at Arkansas
Oct. 12 at Ole Miss
Oct. 19 vs. Auburn
Oct. 26 vs. Vanderbilt
Nov. 2 vs. UTEP
Nov. 9 vs. Mississippi State
Nov. 23 at LSU
Nov. 30 at Missouri
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Everyone knows about Manziel and he should once again lead this offense to be one of the best in the nation after registering 47 total touchdowns last year. He will be helped out by Mike Evans, his top receiver from 2012. The question offensively will likely be on the offensive line where they are losing two starters, most notably OT LUke Joeckel who was the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft. Also of note offensively is their new co-offensive coordinator role split between Clarence McKinney and Jake Spavital after Kliff Kingsbury took off for Texas Tech. since this change happened before the bowl Game, it doesn’t look like the new coaches will be a major hindrance.
The Aggies biggest problem is their defense that is losing a lot of talent from last year’s squad that wasn’t that great to begin with. The unit as a whole is very young which may prove problematic early in the season. They will have two new starters at the linebacker spot while they have to improve a pass defense that finished 12th in the SEC last season.
Texas A&M will have smooth sailing for much of the season just like Alabama as their hardest opponent against the SEC East is Vanderbilt. Their main question comes early in the season against the Crimson Tide where they have to face off in just their third Game. That Game could easily determine the SEC West winner, even though it is so early in the season. From there, road Games at Arkansas and Ole Miss aren’t freebies, but if Manziel can repeat last season’s success, they shouldn’t be a huge problem.
The Aggies Schedule starts to pick up near the end of the year when they have back-to-back Games at LSU and old Big 12 foe, Missouri. Neither one of those Games will be an easy task, especially against LSU. Texas A&M can easily finish the season with only one loss, but again, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if they lose three Games unless their defense suddenly turns into a powerhouse. Most of their Schedule is favorable, but if their defense can’t be better than they were a year ago, problems will arise. Not to mention, teams now have a full year of tape to look at on Manziel and the offense.