Miami has a pair of easy wins under its belt, but traveling to College Station to take on Texas A&M could be a different story. This will be their first hostile environment with Mario Cristobal as the head coach of the Hurricanes.
Texas A&M comes into this game limping, suffering its worse loss of the Jimbo Fisher era last week. The Aggies get one more non-conference game, and it’s certainly not an easy one.
Let’s break this one down while diving into our Miami vs. Texas A&M predictions and best bets for NCAAF Week 3.
Miami vs Texas A&M Predictions
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Miami vs. Texas A&M Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | +5 (-105) | +180 | O 45 (-110) |
| @ Texas A&M | -5 (-115) | -210 | U 45 (-110) |
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 4 p.m. ET on Sept 14.
Game Info
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 17
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Kyle Field — College Station, TX
- TV: ESPN
Miami vs. Texas A&M Trends
- Miami is 1-1 ATS this season.
- Texas A&M is 0-2 ATS this season.
- Texas A&M has gone under the total in both games this season.
- As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings reports that 59% of tickets and 54% of the money are on the underdog Miami against the spread.
- DraftKings also reports that 74% of betting tickets are on the Over 45 total points and 84% of the handle have selected Under 45.
The Cristobal Era Starts Off With Two Wins
The Miami offense looked solid in its first two warmups, including a record 70 points on Bethune-Cookman. Former Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal is now in charge of the Hurricanes, and there are a lot of expectations to bring “The U” back into the University of Miami.
Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke hasn’t needed to take over a game yet this season, but he has shown his efficiency with a 73.9 completion rate.
Thad Franklin | #TheU® pic.twitter.com/s9KmxN2ARY
— GO ‘CANES! (@83_87_89_91_01) September 10, 2022
There were questions about the receiving core as the team lost their two top receivers from last season. However, Xavier Restrepo has established himself as the top guy, and Van Dyke has been very confident throwing to him.
The backfield has been the main attraction in the first two games. Thaddeus Franklin has come out of nowhere to be a brute force through the line, and Ole Miss transfer Henry Parrish brings his speed and receiving ability. They still have 2021 leading rusher Jaylan Knighton making his 2022 debut last week, and he will slowly get implemented back into this lineup as he retunes from injury.
Can Texas A&M Recover From Their Horrific Loss?
This has to be the lowest point in Jimbo Fisher’s tenure at Texas A&M. The Aggies suffered a massive upset going down to the Sun Belt’s Appalachian State in College Station.
This wasn’t a case of a few things going Appalachian State’s way and a miracle win. They flat-out played better and beat Texas A&M.
The Aggies’ offense was abysmal as they could only score 14 points, gain 186 total yards, and held the ball for 18 minutes against a Mountaineers defense that gave up 64 points to North Carolina the week before.
APP STATE UPSETS NO. 6 TEXAS A&M 😱
Mountaineers' first time a beating top-10 team since No. 5 Michigan in 2007 pic.twitter.com/Up7BWcLliK
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 10, 2022
Many wondered why the Aggies brought in LSU transfer QB Max Johnson as a backup to Haynes King. However, King struggled while throwing for 97 yards and 4.9 yards per competition against App State. Could we see a move at quarterback sooner than later?
The problem isn’t the talent on the field. Texas A&M had the No. 1 recruiting class with five and four-star players all over the field, but executing the game plan seems to be the problem.
Miami vs Texas A&M Predictions
You want to believe A&M corrects everything in a week, but unfortunately, this isn’t a warmup game before they get into conference play next Saturday.
The Hurricanes have the backfield to bleed the clock as App State did, but they have a much better quarterback to push the ball downfield.
The biggest weakness of the Miami defense is at linebacker as there isn’t much talent besides Corey Flagg Jr. Moving the ball on the ground through that defensive line will be tough, and the same with exposing that secondary, but it’s not like the Aggies have done that yet anyway.
Miami has a legitimate shot of winning this game, and they should at least safely cover.
Pick: Miami +5 | -105 at DraftKings Sportsbook