Arkansas
vs.
Texas A&M
College Football Pick
9/24/16
It’s been a struggle for certain SEC teams in the early season, but these two don’t have much to complain about. Texas A&M already has a road Conference win under its belt and now a No. 10 ranking in the AP Polls. Arkansas isn’t far behind at No. 17, with its most notable win coming at TCU. For the Game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the Aggies opened as a -6 point favorite.
There’s no doubt, A&M’s start has been more impressive, already with a win against UCLA and then winning at Auburn last weekend quite comfortably. With a defense that could rival some of the best in the SEC and Trevor Knight running the offense, the Aggies may end up being Alabama’s best competition in the West.
Things haven’t been as pretty for Arkansas, who needed a late touchdown to beat Louisiana Tech in the opener. And while the Hogs beat TCU in overtime on the road, the consensus is still out on the Horned Frogs.
And so, we’re left with a six-point spread between these teams. If it’s anything like last year’s meeting, we should be in for a good Game. The Aggies needed overtime to win 28-21 in that meeting, despite getting gashed in the ground Game on both sides of the field.
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A&M will try and change that this meeting, and right now, it looks like they should be able to. The Aggies have been much better on the ground this season with Trayveon Williams rolling for 236 yards and Keith Ford at 155, while Knight also provides mobility at quarterback. The Aggies threw for 358 passing yards last year, but may be able to win via both run and pass this season.
Arkansas has been okay defensively, but did have trouble against Kenny Hill at TCU as he passed for 377 yards and ran for 93 more yards. The known issue for the Hogs over the last couple years is that they start slow and as the year moves on become a better overall unit.
A&M hasn’t looked that explosive this year, so that could play a part in Arkansas covering in the end. Knight has been good, but is still only completing 52.9% of his passes.
As for the Razorbacks, they have looked just fine since struggling somewhat in the opener. That includes new quarterback Austin Allen who is completing 66.3% of his passes for 7 TDs and 2 INTs. Meanwhile, on the ground, the Hogs are rolling with Rawleigh Williams III and he has 354 rushing yards.
But if A&M’s defense is as good as they’ve played, Allen could have some issues in this Game after not seeing a great defense yet. Then again, A&M stopped Auburn last weekend and that doesn’t mean much.
While A&M won by seven last year, it was in overtime and all signs point to this being another close Game. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Razorbacks stuck around if the Aggies can’t break it open early in the Game. In fact, Our numbers have this one being decided by a field goal or less. Arkansas +6.5