No. 5 Texas A&M vs Tennessee

No. 5 Texas A&M vs Tennessee | 2020 NCAAF Expert Analysis

Written by on December 17, 2020

Could No. 5 Texas A&M sneak its way into the College Football Playoff field, which will be announced Sunday? The Aggies need a huge win at Tennessee on Saturday and some help. They are solid favorites on the NCAAF odds.

How to Bet Texas A&M at Tennessee NCAA Football Odds & TV Info

  • When: Saturday, noon ET
  • Where: Neyland Stadium
  • TV: ESPN
  • Stream: ESPN app
  • Radio:com
  • Opening NCAAF Lines: Texas A&M -14 (total 51.5)

Last Meeting

These teams don’t play that often being in separate SEC divisions and with A&M still a fairly new member of the conference. They last did in 2016 in College State with Texas A&M winning 45-38. The Vols lead all-time 2-1 and this is the Aggies’ first-ever trip to Knoxville – the two Tennessee wins in the series were both in bowl games.

Why Bet on Texas A&M? | 2020 NCAAF Expert Analysis

If Ohio State or Clemson lose this weekend, Texas A&M (7-1) has a good shot of slipping into the College Football Playoff. The Aggies last took the field on Dec. 5 at Auburn and won 31-20. Kellen Mond passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third and A&M scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to rally for their sixth straight victory. Mond rebounded from his worst game of the season with a strong performance. He completed 18 of 23 for 196 yards, highlighted by two TDs to Jalen Wydermyer, and ran for 60 yards. Seth Small iced the game with a 32-yard field goal with just over a minute remaining after an earlier miss had helped Auburn remain within a score. Isaiah Spiller had his fifth 100-yard game of the current winning streak, gaining 120 on 20 carries. Devon Achane also ran for 99 yards on just nine carries. Wydermyer caught eight passes for 89 yards A&M finished the victory at Auburn with a season-high 313 rushing yards, the most since tallying 319 in the win over South Carolina last season. Mond became just the third quarterback in SEC history to pass for over 9,000 yards and rush for 1,500 more yards in their career, joining Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott and Florida’s Tim Tebow.  Mond also joined the elite club of Prescott, Tebow and Johnny Manziel as the only SEC quarterbacks to pass for 60 touchdowns and rush for 20 more in their careers. Mond is currently four touchdowns away from being responsible for the most TDs in school history. He enters the week with 90 touchdowns (70 pass, 20 rush) and aims to dethrone Johnny mark of 93 (63 pass, 30 rush). Wydermyer’s 10-yard touchdown grab was his 12th career TD catch, the most in program history by an Aggie tight end. He broke a three-way tie with Jace Sternberger (2018) and Martellus Bennett (2005-07) with 10 TDs apiece to take the record. Texas A&M’s 7-1 record against SEC opponents this season marks the most SEC victories in program history since joining the league in 2012.

Why Bet on Tennessee? | 2020 NCAAF Expert Analysis

Will this be the last game as Vols coach for Jeremy Pruitt? It might be. Pruitt served as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach on Jimbo Fisher’s 2013 Florida State staff. That Seminoles team went 14-0 and won the BCS National Championship. Fisher is now Texas A&M’s coach. Tennessee (3-6) did end a six-game skid last Saturday with a 42-17 win at winless Vanderbilt. UT was led by true freshman quarterback Harrison Bailey, who completed 14-of-18 passes for 207 yards and a pair of touchdowns, all career highs. He connected with redshirt senior wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. on a 74-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring. Jones finished the contest as UT’s top receiver with 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns on seven receptions, all career highs. Redshirt sophomore J.T. Shrout entered the game in relief in the second quarter and saw action throughout the game. Shrout completed 6-of-13 passes for 90 yards and a career best two touchdowns. Bailey is expected to start again this week. Tennessee finished with season highs in points (42), total yards (540) and passing yards (328). Tennessee’s 28-first half points were a season high and the most points the Vols have scored in any half this year. Tennessee held Vanderbilt to just 292 yards of total offense, the lowest by a UT opponent in any game in 2020. No. 5 Texas A&M is the fourth top-five ranked opponent Tennessee has faced this season. It’s the first time in school history that the Vols will face four top-five ranked teams. All four of those teams are still ranked in the top 11. Those teams are a combined 32-5 this season. Fifty percent of UT’s schedule this season came against ranked opponents.

Game Trends

  • Aggies are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
  • Aggies are 5-1 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
  • Aggies are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games.
  • Volunteers are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games as a home underdog.
  • Volunteers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall.

Expert Prediction

  • Texas A&M 30, Tennessee 21