Texas A&M vs Mississippi State Pick

College Football Picks

Football Betting Game Trends

NCAA Football – Week 10

The Texas A&M Aggies have made the tough move to the SEC, and they are finding quite a bit of success thus far. First-year coach Kevin Sumlin has this team playing a new style of football, and it has led the team to a 6-2 record and a spot in the top 25. Mississippi State is 7-1 on the year, with their only loss coming last week to Alabama. The Bulldogs were dominated by the Crimson Tide, but everyone has been so far this year. This is a key SEC matchup for both teams.

Game Overview:

Coach Sumlin likes to run a fast-paced offense, and he has the perfect guy to do that at quarterback in Johnny Manziel. Manziel may be a freshman, but he doesn’t play like a freshman. Manziel has 2,216 yards through the air, and 793 yards on the ground so far this season. He is just as dangerous running as he is throwing it, and as he gets even more comfortable in the offense he should get even better. Seven players have at least 11 catches so far this year for the Aggies. Manziel is the team’s leading rusher, but the team also has three very good running backs. Texas A&M is averaging 45.5 points per game, which is third best in the nation.

The Aggies defense has been up and down this year. They gave up 57 points in a narrow victory over Louisiana Tech, but they have only allowed 22 points per game overall this year. The secondary is a bit of a question mark, as the top teams have picked on this group. The front seven has been solid.

Mississippi State hasn’t played a particularly tough schedule, but they are 7-1 on the season. The Bulldogs schedule gets a whole lot tougher starting this week. They are about to go through a brutal stretch in the SEC. The Bulldogs offense has been extremely balanced this season. Tyler Russell is only completing 58.8 percent of his passes, but he has thrown 15 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Chad Bumphis is the team’s best play maker on the outside. Bumphis has 30 receptions and six of them have gone for touchdowns. LaDarius Perkins leads the team in rushing, and he is gaining 5.5 yards per carry.

It has been the Bulldogs defense that has really led the way this year. Opponents are only scoring 17.4 points per game against this unit. They have held four opponents to ten points or less already this season. Johnthan Banks leads a strong secondary for the Bulldogs, and he leads the team with four interceptions this year. Overall, the Bulldogs rank 28th in the nation in total defense.

Prediction:

Texas A&M is a much improved team, but winning at Mississippi State isn’t easy anymore. The Bulldogs have a very good defense, and I think they’ll be able to move the ball against Texas A&M. Look for this game to go right down to the wire. I like the home underdog here.

Mississippi State 31 Texas A&M 30