The 2013 AT&T Cotton Bowl will take place on Friday night and we will see the Texas A&M Aggies take on the Oklahoma Sooners Arlington, Texas. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 PM (Eastern) start time and it will be televised live on FOX. Currently the odds for the game have Texas A&M favored by 3.5 points, while the total sits at 73. Check out Sportsbook Spy to find out what side the Public is taking on all today's games.
Free Analysis: Two high-powered offenses riding five-game win streaks renew their former conference rivalry in a venue that’s just a short drive away for both schools. These teams will play for the 17th straight year, with Oklahoma holding a dominant 11-2 SU (7-6 ATS) mark over Texas A&M since 1999.
Texas A&M's 6-2 mark in its first foray into the SEC was good for second in the Western Division behind Alabama. The Aggies are the only team to beat the Crimson Tide this season. With Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel at the helm, the Aggies come into this contest seeking their first 11-win campaign since 1998. A&M is led by head coach Kevin Sumlin, who spent five seasons (2003-07) as an assistant at Oklahoma. Heisman Trophy winning freshman QB Johnny Manziel has 4,600 total yards (3,419 passing and 1,181 rushing) and 19 total TD during five straight wins for the Aggies. But Manziel no longer has offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury who left to take the Texas Tech head coaching job. Manziel leads the SEC in rushing, but the Aggies have three other capable backs in Ben Malena (752 rush yds, 7 TD), Christine Michael (417 rush yds, 12 TD) and Trey Williams (335 rush yds, 4 TD). The senior Michael has rushed for 6 TD in the past four games, and his lone bowl action was in 2009 when he rushed for 77 yards (5.1 YPC) and a touchdown in the Independence Bowl loss to Georgia. Manziel usually looks for two receivers when he drops back, freshman Mike Evans (75 rec, 1,022 yds, 5 TD) and senior Ryan Swope (64 rec, 809 yds, 7 TD). Evans has 180 receiving yards and 3 TD over his past two games, while Swope has at least 110 receiving yards in three of his past five contests, scoring four times in these five games. The Aggies defense certainly gives up yardage (389 YPG, 58th in nation), but they surrender just 22.5 PPG (29th in FBS), as just one opponent has scored as much as 30 points against them this year, that being Louisiana Tech -- the highest-scoring team in the land -- in a 59-57 Texas A&M win on Oct. 13. The Aggies have 2.5 sacks per game this season (T-29th in nation) and have forced seven turnovers in the past three contests.
Oklahoma earned a share of its eighth Big 12 title this season, matching Kansas State's 8-1 league ledger. The Sooners lost to the Wildcats, 24-19, in their conference opener back on Sept. 22, thus giving K-State the league's automatic bid to a BCS bowl game. Oklahoma is led by Bob Stoops, who can notch his 150th career win in this clash, and the team has been to a bowl game every year since his arrival on campus back in 1999. Stoops' troops played in their only other Cotton Bowl back in 2002, defeating Arkansas in a 10-3 final. Oklahoma QB Landry Jones ranks 11th in the nation in total offense (324 YPG), throwing at least two touchdowns in eight of the past nine games. He's also been outstanding in three career starts versus Texas A&M with 937 passing yards, 8 TD and just 2 INT. Jones will be starting a bowl game for the fourth straight year, but he wasn't great in last year's Insight.com Bowl against Iowa when he completed 16-of-25 passes for 161 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. His favorite target in 2012 is junior WR Kenny Stills (75 rec, 892 yds, 11 TD), who has six 90-yard games this year with 7 TD during the five-game win streak. The Sooners have an average ground game (165 YPG, 59th in FBS), but Damien Williams finished the season strong with 317 rushing yards and 4 TD in the final four games. For the most part, the Oklahoma defense has done a solid job this season in permitting 24.2 points and 378.8 yards per game. The effort against the run has been somewhat suspect though, as foes generate 181.1 ypg and have scored 23 TDs on the ground.
Texas A&M is appearing in its 34th bowl game (14-19), and is playing in its 13th Cotton Bowl (4-8). The Aggies, who were just here two years ago (41-24 loss to LSU), are playing in Cowboys Stadium for the fifth time, but have yet to leave as the victors. Overall, OU is appearing in its 46th bowl game (27-17-1), and the team is seeking its fourth straight bowl win, which would match the longest streak in school history.
Free Pick: Much like last night's game I will look to the Under in this one. Much like Oregon last night, when people think of Texas A&M all they think about is Offense, but this team knows how to play some defense as well. They use a bend but don't break style of defense as they have allowed 389 ypg, but just 22.5 ppg and have allowed just one team more than 30 points this year and that was La Tech, the highest scoring team in the land. The Sooner defense has struggled down the stretch, but they are a bit healthier for this one and with extra prep time I'm sure they will have a plan to stop this offense. Overall this defense has allowed 24.2 ppg. Oklahoma's offense has average 40.3 ppg on the year, but vs defenses like Notre Dame and Kansas State they were only able to muster just 13 points in each game and they do face another good defense tonight. These defenses are solid and have extra prep time and I feel that scould keebp this one in the low 60's at best.
-25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
The Ten Commandments for Betting the Bowls... CLICK HERE
Vegas Rankings: CFB Dedicated Thread
Get More Free Picks from the Pregame Pros HERE.
Check out Pregame.tv each week to get Videos with analysis, handicapping tips and Free Plays.
College Football Free Picks: Texas A&M vs Oklahoma Betting
What college football bettors need to know about Texas A&M Aggies vs Oklahoma Sooners on Friday (1/04/13) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Chuck Edel, with Vegas Runner and host Chris Andrews.