No. 10 Texas A&M is hitting the road to take on South Carolina this week, and it already feels like it's been two different seasons for the Aggies. Perhaps it's because they've been going back and forth between two different quarterbacks.
The Aggies opened the year with a home loss to Notre Dame in which they seemed overmatched. It raised serious questions as to whether or not the team would seriously contend in the SEC. It's been nothing but victory since, as Mike Elko's squad has flipped from Conner Weigman to Marcel Reed, back to Conner Weigman and Marcel Reed again. Last week, Reed replaced Weigman against LSU and sparked the A&M offense to a 38-23 win that lifted the Aggies back in the top 10. The Aggies are now a +110 bet to make the College Football Playoff, according to the sports betting app FanDuel.
This week Reed's expected to start, but whoever lines up at QB will be up against it. The South Carolina defense has been one of the nastiest in the country this season and boasts one of the best fronts in college football. Nothing comes easy against this unit, and when you factor in a night game atmosphere at Williams-Brice Stadium, this game could go anybody's way.
How to watch Texas A&M vs. South Carolina live
Date: Saturday, November 2 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Williams-Brice Stadium -- Columbia, South Carolina
TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Texas A&M vs. South Carolina: Need to know
Texas A&M has dominated this young rivalry: OK, so while the game might go either way, recent history suggests it's only likely to go one. The SEC made this a protected rivalry when the Aggies joined the conference, but nobody bothered to protect South Carolina. The Aggies are 9-1 against the Gamecocks, and six of the wins have come by at least two scores. South Carolina's lone victory did come under Shane Beamer, and it was the last time this game was played in Columbia.
Mike Elko is off to the best start for an Aggies coach in over a century: Mike Elko's Aggies are off to a 7-1 start and you have to go back a long way to find the last Texas A&M coach to win seven of his first eight games in College Station. That coach was Dana Bible, and if you don't recognize that name it's because his first season was in 1917. Aggies fans surely know it, because Bible is third all-time in wins with the program with 72. That trails only R.C. Slocum (123) and Homer Norton (82).
South Carolina has lost eight straight games against teams ranked in the AP Poll: An eight-game losing streak isn't any fun, but if there's a silver lining, it's that the streak hasn't lasted as long as the number suggests. Three of those eight losses have come this season, and the first five were all last year. South Carolina finished the 2022 season with a 31-30 win over rival Clemson, which was ranked in the top 10 at the time.
Texas A&M vs. South Carolina prediction, picks
I know Marcel Reed was great last week, but he was very impressive in his first start this season against Florida and looked far more pedestrian in his next two showings. His presence won't catch South Carolina by surprise this week. I think Texas A&M wins this game, but I'm far more confident in both defenses that'll be on the field, so I'd feel better betting the under than anything. Pick: Under 44.5
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