NCAAF Picks: Both the Texas A&M Aggies and Ole Miss Rebels are coming off intense high profile games that received plenty of buildup and hype but now must quickly refocus for yet another tough SEC West Division showdown with each other as the weekly gauntlet continues in the toughest division in the nation’s best conference. Last week the Aggies were ambushed in a 48-31 loss at Mississippi State while the Rebels scored one of the biggest wins in school history in a 23-17 comeback payout over Alabama.
The Aggies will host the Rebels at Kyle Field on Saturday with coverage on ESPN starting at 9 PM ET. Texas A&M opened as a two-point favorites.
Rebels of SEC West
Ole Miss is 5-0 straight up, 4-0-1 against the spread, and 1-4 under the total. The Rebels are tied with Mississippi State and Auburn for the lead of the SEC West. The Rebels rank a surprising sixth in the nation for total defense and second for scoring defense. The big question is if they can refocus after the huge win last week.
Defense a Drag on Aggies
Texas A&M was dominated at Mississippi State as they trailed 48-17 in the fourth before getting two late TD’s during garbage time. Defense continues to be a problem for the Aggies as they rank 76th overall in the nation. Quarterback Kenny Hill had a 28.6 QB rating and threw three interceptions in the loss and may be poised for a huge bounceback in this one as his QB rating for the season is 161.8 with a 21-5 TD-INT ratio.
Matchup and Pick
Ole Miss has been a solid board value away from home as the Rebels have covered the spread in nine out of their last 13 road games with 12 out of their last 15 away games going under the total. Texas A&M on the other hand has struggled to maintain good betting value at home with just three payouts in their last eight games at Kyle Field as four out of their last five home games have gone under the total. Ole Miss has covered both of their previous meetings with Texas AM as their last visit to Kyle Field was a tough 27-30 loss in which they covered as 12.5 point dogs as the game went under the total. We’ll call for Ole Miss (+2) and under for this one as we like their strong defense.
