Texas A&M-LSU
Saturday, Oct. 25
7:30 p.m. Eastern, 4:30 p.m. Pacific
ABC
The Texas A&M Aggies are still unbeaten. They have navigated a minefield to this point and are still in a very good position to make the College Football Playoff. However, they still need to clear one more hurdle to feel especially confident about their position heading into November. A&M will have some tough games over the next several weeks. The Aggies might get tripped up later, so bagging this game would dramatically raise the odds that they can still reach the SEC Championship Game for the first time in school history and make the playoff even if they don’t win the SEC title.
A&M has not been a dominant team, but it has made the plays it has needed to make on a consistent basis. Winning on the road at Notre Dame gave this team a huge confidence boost which has catapulted the Aggies to a higher tier. A&M used that game as fuel for a transformation which has Mike Elko’s team in the hunt for college football’s biggest prizes.
LSU has reached a point of no return
Tigers face a now-or-never moment against Texas A&M
Texas A&M faces an LSU team which has its back against the wall. The Tigers are coming off a loss to Vanderbilt. They have two losses (the other one to Ole Miss). This game is a must-win for LSU relative to both the SEC and College Football Playoff races.
Brian Kelly has failed to lift LSU to the top tier of college football in four seasons in Baton Rouge. He was hired to win big, not to go 8-4 or 9-3, and he is continuously falling short. If he loses this game to Texas A&M, Kelly will encounter a firestorm of criticism, and one will have to wonder if he will seek other jobs in the coming coaching carousel. LSU fans have never warmed to Kelly, who had coached at Notre Dame and Cincinnati in previous decades. He is not a Southerner, not a native, not a favored son. He is a mercenary who would only win admiration if he won at a high level. This game is hugely important for Kelly if he wants to save his job and tenure at LSU.
Texas A&M Aggies-LSU Tigers Odds
Hear TJ Rives and Jason Powers break down this game on the 3Dog Thursday Podcast by clicking Play below:
Spread: Texas A&M -2.5 (-115), LSU +2.5 (-105)
Total: 49.5 (Over -105, Under -115)
Underdog moneyline: LSU +120
The big news heading into this game is that LSU linebacker Whit Weeks remains out with an injury. He didn’t play against Vanderbilt, and his absence was keenly felt and noticed. LSU allowed 31 points and looked off balance all game on defense. Not having him on the field constrains what the Tigers can achieve on defense.
However, Louisiana State — at night, in Tiger Stadium, desperate, with a lot on the line — has historically been tough to beat. The Tigers often knock off a good if not better opponent in these kinds of situations. The lean is to LSU, but you might as well sit back for a quarter, maybe even a half, before making a bet on this game. A live play makes a lot of sense. Gauge the temperature of these teams before thinking you know what will happen.