I think the Texas A&M Aggies are the only program in the country that expects so much yet delivers so little. The hiring of Jimbo Fisher in 2018 was supposed to turn the program into an annual contender, but the Aggies haven’t won more than nine games under his guidance and last season posted their first losing campaign since 2009. There is reason to believe the Aggies can turn things around this year. The team was decimated by injuries and quarterback play was atrocious, however there are ballers up and down the roster. The build-up heading into the season has tempered a bit with crypto sportsbooks setting the Aggies win total at 7.5.
College Football Season Wins Odds
Regular Season Wins for the Texas A&M Aggies
Over 7.5 ( -204 )
Under 7.5 ( +171 )
Patience is running thin with Fisher, who has failed to deliver not only championships but 10-win seasons. There’s no reason why the Aggies can’t be successful every year; some of the top recruits are in Texas and there are few limitations with the program. They school may have been its worst enemy, though. The move to the SEC hasn’t worked out as planned and the Fisher hiring has been second-guessed for years.
Roster
The Aggies were a major disappointment last year ranked No. 6 in the preseason polls only to flop with a Week 2 loss at home to Appalachian State. They recovered to win their next two against ranked foes only to have the wheels fall off. The Aggies suffered through a horrendous six-game losing streak with four of the setbacks by six points or less. With three quarterbacks seeing action the offense never found a rhythm and finished 101st in the FBS averaging 22.8 points. That sparked a response by Fisher who tabbed Bobby Petrino to be his new coordinator.
The upside for the program outweighs anything else Petrino brings to the program. He’s a brilliant offensive mind who fielded high-scoring offenses at Arkansas and Louisville during his head coaching career. And think about this; if the Aggies hit their 2021 scoring average of 29 points in every game last year and everything else stayed the same they would have finished 8-4. It just shows us that as bad as they were the Aggies were still not far away from being decent.
It starts behind center and there’s a potential star in Conner Wegman. He played in only five games last year throwing for 896 yards with eight TDs and zero interceptions. He’s big, strong and mobile with an arm to make the downfield passing game work. Wegman also has weapons to throw to in Ainias Smith, who returns from an injury that put him on the shelf most of last year. The top four pass catchers all return looking to make the aerial attack more potent and consistent. Five star recruit Rueben Owens will get every chance to shine in the backfield with the departure of Devon Achane and few other options.
It wasn’t just the offense that stunk last year. The D did its part being soft against the run allowing opponents to scoot for 209 yards a game. The inability to stop the run helped the pass defense lead the nation averaging 156.2 yards. Having teams run the ball at will against you is deflating so the Aggies need their stud recruits along the D line to grow into their roles. The group has to be a lot better and there’s not much time left to get there.
Schedule
With expectations dimmed from past seasons maybe the Aggies can finally put things together. They won’t contend for a national championship and the SEC West title is a dream, but they should be better than last year’s outfit. Winning close games is a must since the Aggies play in a bunch of them. They were a stop away from beating Alabama and suffered 3-point losses to Ole Miss and Auburn. Oh, and they beat LSU in the season finale. Miami is the biggest non-conference threat and navigating the division with better outcomes puts them close to their total.
Prediction
It’s all about the wins and losses but a deeper dive shows the Aggies weren’t as bad as their record in 2022. They couldn’t stop the run and inconsistent QB play undermined their season. Both areas can be fixed in a hurry with the development of Wegman and some top recruits along the defensive front. Winning 10 games is a tall task but getting eight not so much. And I like this group reaching that number for the OVER.
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