Texas A&M opened as a surprisingly small underdog for its matchup with Tennessee, with FanDuel listing the Volunteers as just 2.5-point favorites heading into this weekend.
That number jumps off the page for a few reasons. The Aggies are 4-5.
Tennessee is 7-2 and fresh off an emphatic win over top-10 Kentucky. On paper, that looks like a spot where Texas A&M might be catching a much bigger number.
Instead, the line is barely more than a field goal.
The question, then, is whether the market sees something the record doesn’t. Texas A&M has unquestionably underperformed its talent level this season.
From a recruiting standpoint, this is one of the most star-studded rosters in the country, but the pieces haven’t come together. That kind of team can be dangerous, though, because if everything clicks for 60 minutes, it has the ability to ambush somebody.
Tennessee also enters a tricky stretch. The Kentucky win carried real emotional weight, and while it doesn’t carry the same edge as something like Tennessee-Alabama, there’s still history and rivalry there. That can create a letdown spot, especially with 6-3 LSU waiting the following week in Neyland.
The Volunteers haven’t exactly been a model road team either. They barely got past Arkansas in Fayetteville earlier this season, and they lost to South Carolina in Williams Brice a few weeks back. Texas A&M has its own road loss in the mix, but the circumstances were different.
This one also comes with a built-in edge for the Aggies. After nearly a month away from Kyle Field, Texas A&M is coming home for the annual blackout game, even if the 2 PM central kickoff is less than ideal.
The setting should be loud, and it figures to be the most intimidating environment Tennessee has faced this season. It’s also one of the most talented opponents on the Vols’ schedule, with only Texas and Alabama ranking higher among Tennessee opponents on 247Sports’ Team Talent Composite.
Still, the Aggies can’t count on atmosphere alone. Tennessee brings one of the best defenses in the country into College Station, and it’s going against an offense that has struggled all year. Texas A&M just failed to score a touchdown for the third time this season, so the margin for error is thin.
Even with all that, there’s enough here to make this a fascinating line to watch. The setup is there for an upset, but Texas A&M will have to play its best game to pull it off. The next six days should tell us plenty about where the number goes from here.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Just Turned One Ugly Loss Into A Bigger Problem
The frustration from Texas A&Ms 17-9 loss to South Carolina goes beyond a bad result on the road. The Aggies piled up more than 450 yards without turning it over, yet still failed to reach the end zone, a stunning outcome that left them with nothing to show for a day when the offense moved the ball but never finished drives.
Now sitting at 4-5, Texas A&M has little margin for error with Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas still ahead. What looked like a manageable path to bowl eligibility has become a much tougher climb, and the Aggies are suddenly staring at a stretch that will say a lot about whether this season can still be salvaged. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Just Took A Recruiting Hit Fans Never Saw Coming
Less than 24 hours after the loss to South Carolina, Texas A&M took a jolt on the recruiting trail when Mark Matthews, a five-star offensive tackle and one of the highest-rated prospects ever linked to the program, decommitted and reopened his recruitment. Matthews had been viewed as a cornerstone addition for the Aggies, and his place as the No. 3-ranked recruit in Texas A&M program history made him one of the most important pledges in the class.
The timing only adds to the sting, especially after Matthews said two months ago that he was fully committed to Texas A&M. For a program trying to steady itself after a tough weekend, losing a player of that caliber is the kind of development that can ripple beyond one recruiting class and force the staff back into damage-control mode. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Just Had One Of College Footballs Weirdest Losses
Texas A&M spent the afternoon piling up offense in every way that usually points to a comfortable win, only to walk away with one of the strangest box scores in college football history. Against No. 21 South Carolina, the Aggies moved the ball for 457 yards, picked up 26 first downs and split their production almost evenly between the run and the pass, with 206 rushing yards and 251 through the air.
The odd part was what never showed up on the scoreboard: despite all that yardage and no turnovers, Texas A&M did not score a touchdown. It made the loss stand out even more because the program had been in a similar statistical neighborhood before, but never in a game where so much offense produced so little payoff. [Read more 🡒]