LSU
vs.
Texas A&M
College Football Pick
11/24/16
The outlook for LSU and Texas A&M the rest of this season is minimal. Both have blown what could’ve been good years, the Aggies most recently. Will playing in College Station be enough for A&M to get another win over LSU, or will the Tigers ride Ed Orgeron’s intensity to victory?
Yes, LSU has three losses, but under Orgeron, the Tigers have looked much better. Even in the loss against Alabama, they competed and held a good offense down to 10 points. OUtside of that, they’ve controlled good SEC teams like Ole Miss and Arkansas. Maybe the playoff is out of the question, but LSU could find themselves in a pretty good bowl Game with a win here.
As for Texas A&M, being ranked at No. 4 in the initial CFP rankings did them in. since, the Aggies fell to both Mississippi State and Ole Miss in miserable finishes. This was a team that started 6-0 with wins over Auburn and Arkansas that has once again collapsed.
It was almost the same situation a year ago with these teams. LSU walked away with a win and Les Miles was carried off in victory. The only thing either team had to play for was LSU who was playing for its coach. It looks like that could be the deciding scenario again.
The Tigers won that Game through their usual ways; a dominant running Game led by Leonard Fournette. Other than that, neither team did all that much with LSU winning 19-7.
Fournette will be at the head of the LSU attack once again, but this time he’s joined by Derrius Guice, who’s actually putting in better numbers throughout the season. That one-two punch may be all the Tigers need.
This A&M defense can be good, but it’s notable they haven’t stopped any of their last Four SEC opponents. An injured Myles Garrett may be the cause of that and it’s unlikely he’ll be completely healed for this Game, still dealing with a bad ankle.
And the last time the Aggies played a defense this good, they scored just 14 points against Alabama. Will this Game be any different?
It’s important they get something from running back Trayveon Williams or quarterback Jake Hubenak in the running Game because that was their downfall in last year’s loss. The Aggies finished with just 89 rushing yards on 33 attempts (sacks included). New A&M QB Hubenak still doesn’t have an SEC win as a starter, which is obviously worrisome. Trevor Knight wasn’t amazing by any means, but he was arguably better than what Hubenak has shown. If the Aggies can’t get that ground Game going, it’s hard to see Hubenak putting enough points on the board against this defense to win, even at home.
College Station is usually a crazy place to play, but after recent losses, that craziness may be at a minimum even in the home finale. Not to mention, playing on Thanksgiving could dampen the crowd’s intensity. A&M will have to dig deep for this win, otherwise it could be another LSU win led by Fournette and Guice.
Our Pick – LSU -5