The Tennessee Vols are 5-0. That’s the good news. The bad news, the team is only halfway through the toughest stretch of the season that concludes with with a showdown against the No. 1 team in the nation in two weeks.
After last week’s dramatic Hail Mary victory over Georgia, the Vols will face another tough matchup in Week 6, coming in as the underdog against the No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies are also undefeated so far this season.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 6 game is set for Saturday, October 8, 2016, at 7 p.m. ET at Kyle Field at College Station.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Tennessee +7
Texas A&M -7
Over/Under 56
Odds Analysis
Tennessee has looked like Houdini will all of its escape acts this year, and the gamblers don’t expect it to continue in this one. Texas A&M is a touchdown favorite and 57 percent of the betting action is headed its way to cover.
The scoring total may be a little high as 56 percent of the money is taking the “under” in this matchup.
Key Stat
5. That’s not only the number of wins for the Volunteers, but the number of rallies close games they have been in. It has not been a smooth ride, as Tennessee has been one of the luckiest teams in the nation thus far.
The Volunteers trailed by 10 points to Appalachian State in their opener before winning 20-13 in overtime. Tennessee was down by 14 points before taking control in a 45-24 win over Virginia Tech.
Ohio was only down by two points in the fourth quarter before Tennessee won 28-19; Florida led by 18 points and Tennessee rallied for a 38-28 win; and last week was the cherry on top, as the Volunteers were down 10 points in the fourth quarter and then seemed dead to rites late before quarterback Joshua Dobbs completed the long bomb on the last play of regulation for the 34-31 victory.
Player to Watch
Trayveon Williams -- The Texas A&M running back is averaging nine yards per carry. The freshman running back has 54 carries for 487 yards with four touchdowns in the first five games.
The young back had a breakout game against Auburn in Week 3, finishing with 123 yards on the ground and a touchdown. He followed that up with another stellar performance against Arkansas, accumulating 153 yards on the ground and finding the endzone twice.
Behind Williams, the team ranks 13th in the nation for rushing yards, averaging 258.6 yards a game. He is joined in the backfield by Trevor Knight and Keith Ford, who have combined for another 605 yards.
Free ATS Pick
Texas A&M has been standing behind its stout defense this year, which is holding teams to 15.4 points a game so far. Against nationally-ranked teams like UCLA and Arkansas, the defense allowed only 24 points.
The Vols’ offense has averaged 33 points per contest, so it will be a good clash of a pair of units which excel. Tennessee prefers to run the ball but may be forced to throw if it falls behind in this one.
Quarterback Josh Dobbs has thrown for 1,035 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. He will have to do a good job taking care of the ball, because putting the explosive Texas A&M offense on short fields won’t end well.
The Aggies have a bye after this game against Tennessee, and will spend the off week gearing up for Alabama on October 22nd. Texas A&M would love to set up a titanic showdown of undefeateds in that one, but first must take care of business.
Its combination of explosive offense and stout defense will be enough to finally end Tennessee’s impressive start. The Volunteers will fall behind in this one but there will be no comeback.
College Football Odds: Texas A&M 31, Tennessee 20
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