Tigers vs Aggies NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
Despite their 6-1 record, the LSU Tigers have had an up-and-down season to this point. They’ve looked good at times and lethargic at others, but the BCS still liked their strength of schedule, placing them at No. 7 in the inaugural ranking of the season.
No. 6 LSU Tigers (6-1) vs No. 18 Texas A&M Aggies (5-1)
Saturday October 20, 2012
Kyle Field, COLLEGE STATION, TX
12:00 PM ET
Moneyline: LSU -164, Texas A&M +145 from GTBets.eu
Spread: LSU -3.5
O/U: 52
ATS Matchup Stats | Gambling Insight! | Buy Ray’s Picks!
The Texas A&M Aggies enter this game as the 18th-ranked team in the country, and as the ones hoping to officially spoil the Tigers’ thoughts at a championship run.
LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers didn’t look like a championship team when they fell 14-6 against the Florida Gators two weeks ago, but a hard-fought victory over No. 3 South Carolina last weekend has put them right back into BCS contention.
The defense of LSU has looked fantastic this season. The team has allowed just 89.3 yards per game on the ground (sixth in the nation), 130.3 yards per game through the air (second in the nation) and just 219.6 total yards per game (second in the nation). As a result, they’re allowing just 14 points per game, which is good enough for eighth in the nation.
CLICK TO GRAB OUR Expert CFB Picks for 2012 NCAA FOOTBALL Betting!
Their offense, on the other hand, has been stagnant throughout much of the season. In their first two SEC games, their conference opponents held them to a combined 18 points. Quarterback Zach Mettenberger has yet to find his stride, none of his receivers have truly stood out and the loss of Chris Faulk way back in week one has made life difficult for the offensive line.
It’s tough to ever truly count out Les Miles and the LSU Tigers, but either their defense is going to have to step up hugely against the high-scoring Aggies, or their offense must match the production that they see this weekend.
Texas A&M Aggies
The Texas A&M Aggies are ranked No. 18 in the first BCS rankings of the season, and while they may not have BCS National Championship aspirations at this point in the year, they certainly have spoiler written all over them with LSU and Alabama on their schedule moving forward.
This week is LSU, and they must attack from the beginning if they’re going to compete late. The Aggies score an impressive 47 points per game, and their success is heavily influenced by the play of their quarterback, Johnny Manziel. As a first-year player, the 6’1”, 200-pound man behind center has thrown the ball for 1,680 yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s been efficient as well, completing 67.4 percent of his passes and throwing just three interceptions. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Manziel is just as dangerous in the ground attack. On 91 rush attempts this season, he’s run for 676 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The key matchup in this game, as simple as it sounds, is the Aggies’ offense versus the Tigers’ defense. The Aggies are one of the top offensive teams in the country, and they must show why on Saturday if they’re going to stand a chance against the second-best statistical defense.
LSU has done a good job limiting opponents’ offenses thus far, and that’s what it’s going to take to win this weekend. The Aggies will be a thorn in the side of LSU, but by the time the clock strikes zero, we’ll likely see that they’re not ready to compete with the best that the SEC has to offer.
Trends
- Tigers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
- Tigers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game.
- Under is 4-1 in Tigers last 5 games following a S.U. win.
- Under is 4-1 in Aggies last 5 games after allowing more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
- Under is 4-1 in Aggies last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
- Under is 4-1 in Aggies last 5 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
O/U Pick: Under 52
Score Prediction: LSU 27 – Texas A&M 17
