The No. 1 Clemson Tigers are 17.5-point home favorites over the No. 12 Texas A&M Aggies, according to top betting sites, for the NCAA football Week 2 game on September 7 at 8:00 pm ET at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.
#1 Clemson Tigers vs. #12 Texas A&M Aggies Odds from Xbet Sportsbook
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | +17½ (-110) | 64½ (-110) | +625 |  |
| Clemson | -17½ (-110) | 64½ (-110) | -950 | |
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Betting Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies opened the season with a 41-7 seven win over Texas State at Kyle Station. TAMU was a 33.5-point home fave, per the best online sportsbooks. The game was decided on the ground, as the Aggies gained 246 rushing yards to the Bobcats’ eight. Isaiah Spiller and Jashaun Corbin both rushed for 100+ yards. On defense, Myles Jones had two of TAMU’s four interceptions.
The Aggies now find that the shoe is on the other foot, as top betting sites heavily favor Clemson. However, outside linebacker Jared Hocker has predicted an upset. TAMU gave Clem a run for its money last season, losing 26-28 as 12-point home underdogs. There is a caveat, though. Current Missouri signal-caller Kelly Bryant quarterbacked the Tigers for most of that game. 2019 National Championship Game MVP Trevor Lawrence had not yet positioned himself as Clemson’s top QB.
But back to the upset thing. Dallas News.com’s Chuck Carlton believes starting QB Kellen Mond is the key to beating the Tigers. He wrote: “Laid-back by nature, Mond has taken a step forward vocally. At SEC media days, he called himself the “best” of the nine quarterbacks in attendance in Hoover, Ala. “And that’s not just because I’m a confident person,” Mond told reporters, “but I actually believe that.” That’s pretty much what being confident means, Kel.
Betting Clemson Tigers
The Tigers and their fearful symmetry cut through Georgia Tech 52-14. As a result, Clem covered the 36.5-point spread set by top betting sites. Lawrence had a rare off day, passing for just 168 yards. Though he still threw for more yards than all three GT QBs combined and passed for as many TDs (1). Lawrence also tossed two picks. No sweat, though; the running corps picked up the slack. The Tigers gained 411 yards on the ground, of which Travis Etienne accounted for 205, with three TDs to boot. Defensively, Clemson recorded four sacks and two interceptions.
Speaking of defense, Mond picked the Tigers’ secondary apart last season. He passed 333 yards and three TDs in the second half of that game. Including 206 yards and two TDs in the fourth quarter. Consequently, Clemson’s returning defensive starters will enter Saturday with the proverbial chip on their shoulder. What, never heard of that proverb? You should brush up on your Bible studies. “That’s a personal thing. For me personally, I feel like I left a lot out there. To redeem myself this game is me personally how I feel,” safety K’Von Wallace said. “I feel like I didn’t do my best. I’m gonna [sic] go out there and lay it on the line for my brothers. Even though it’s a personal game for me, it’s a personal game for a lot of players on this team.” I get it. It’s personal.
#1 Clemson Tigers vs. #12 Texas A&M Aggies Expert Pick
All things being equal, Mond and Lawrence might cancel each other out. Thus, it would come down to the run game. More specifically, Clemson’s rushing offense versus TAMU’s rushing defense. The latter of which did a great job of stopping Texas State’s running backs. That notwithstanding, if you cannibalized the best parts of each Texas State running back, you’d still not have Travis Etienne. On the other hand, the Tigers went 3-5 ATS in Death Valley last season. All things considered, I’ll take Clem to win and TAMU to cover.
