Hello Pregame! I am excited about the start of another college football season and I have a play for Thursday night as follows:
Texas A&M +10.5 at South Carolina Really like the Aggies in this spot largely because of the "Johnny Manziel Factor". Now, some of you may know I am not JM's biggest fan, and I think this could be a case of addition by subtraction. He's a terrific player, but about this game, there are several factors that make me like this side. First, South Carolina is a good team, but replacing the QB won't happen instantly. There is always the timing factor that won't always be on that first game. Second, the Aggies defense returns 9 starters. Now, we all know A&M's defense sucked last year, so returning 9 starters shouldn't be viewed positively, right? Wrong. I like the experience here, the unit will largely be cohesive and against a largely inexperienced QB, they will have a chance to make some plays and gain some confidence. On the other side of the ball, A&M only returns 5 starters on offense, but there is still plenty of talent, including at QB where the nation's #1 high school QB takes over. Against an SC defense that could take a step back this season (at least at the beginning), we could see this offense show some surprising moxie. So, what do I see here? The Gamecocks will still win, but this line is too high. Opening with a conference game can be unpredictable. South Carolina 30 Texas A&M 23. Play the Aggies and the Under (total is at 60.5).
For those interested, tonight at 7:45pm ET I will be on The Sports Shelf sports talk radio show at www.wbad.net/sportstalk with Nick & Emory. We'll be talking about some of the other college football games this weekend as well. I have a regular spot at that time every week, so listen in!
BOL to everyone this weekend!