Clemson Tigers vs Texas A&M Aggies CFB Odds, Betting Preview 9/8/18
The Atlantic Coast Conference meets the Southeastern Conference this evening as the Clemson Tigers battle it out with the Texas A&M Aggies. This game has a start time of 7:00 pm ET and will take place at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. This game pits Dabo Swinney against Jimbo Fisher who was coach of Florida state the last eight years. They were 4-4 against each other in the regular season in those eight years. These teams last met back in 2005 and Clemson won that game 25-24 at home.
Lines: Clemson -12 … Over/Under 51.5
A Look At The Tigers
The Clemson Tigers won the National Title two years ago, but last year they came up just a bit short as they lost to Alabama by a score of 24-6 in the Semifinal round of the playoffs. They still were 12-2 on the year and are loaded again this time around as they have 62 of 81 lettermen returning, including 15 starters. The Tigers began their quest for the title with a 45-7 home win over Furman. That wasn’t a great test for them, but still, they had a good game. Eight starters are back to an offense that averaged 33.3 ppg, including QB Kelly Bryant. He threw for 127 yards and a TD in the game. Trevor Lawrence is in the battle for the QB spot and in his first collegiate game, he threw for 137 yards with three TDs and no INTs. The Tigers will probably be using both quarterbacks in this game.
The offense put up 266 yards on the ground an 277 through the air and that is the kind of balance that Dabo Swinney loves. Travis Etienne led the team in rushing last year and he had 64 yards and a TD in the win. Lyn-J Dixon led them with 89 yards and it was his first college game. This team just keeps recruiting well. The defense allowed just 13.6 ppg last year and it will be just as tough this year with eight starters back. They allowed just 13 first downs and 247 yards of total offense to Furman. The task will be far tougher for them on both sides of the ball and they are taking on a coach that knows them. This will be a tough test for the Tigers.
A Look At The Aggies
The Texas A&M Aggies are set to have a strong season. They have 55 of 72 lettermen, including 16 starters from a team that went 7-6 last year, plus they now have Jimbo Fisher running the show and we know what he did at Florida State. The Aggies began their season with a 59-7 thrashing of Northwestern State, but now they will be taking on a real college team. This will be a good test to see how far along they are. Kellen Mond is back at QB and he threw for 184 yards and two TDs in the win. Nick Starkel also saw time last year and he threw for 63 yards and a TD in the win. The Aggies piled up 758 yards of total offense, including 503 yards on the ground.
The real star on the offense was Trayveon Williams, who ran for 240 yards and three TDs in the game. He led them in rushing last year with 798 yards and eight TDs and is off to a very good start. The offense will not have it this easy in this one as they are taking on a Top-5 defense and I can guarantee you that they will not run for 503 yards against this defense. The defense allowed 30.7 ppg last year, but Fisher had some very good defenses at Florida state and they have eight starters back. It should be much improved this year. The Tigers are a strong team, but the Aggies play well at home and Jimbo Fisher does know the Tigers. Should be a good game.
Trends
Clemson is:
8-2 ATS in their last 10 non-conference games
11-4 ATS in their last 15 games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game
7-3 ATS in their last 10 games after allowing less than 170 yards passing in their previous game
The Under is 10-2 in their last 12 games in September
Texas A&M is:
18-7-1 ATS in their last 26 games in September
4-0 ATS in their last 4 non-conference games
6-2 ATS in their last 8 games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game
The Over is 4-1 in their last five vs. the ACC
