Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame Odds and Picks
On Saturday, September 13th, college football fans will be treated to a meeting between the Texas A&M Aggies and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. All year, we’re going to be diving into some of the biggest college football games of the season, and this one isn’t any different. With that in mind, keep reading for betting odds and picks for this exciting showdown. Also, make sure you head over to our Week 3 College Football Betting Hub for a look at all of our college football betting content.
MORE: Head to the Pro Picks page for best bets from all of our VSiN hosts and analysts!
How to Watch Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame
Where: Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana
When: Saturday, September 13th at 7:30 pm ET
Channel: Peacock / NBC
Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame Odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate as of Wednesday, September 10th. Look around for the best prices!
Moneyline: Notre Dame -258, Texas A&M +210
Spread: Notre Dame -6.5 (-115), Texas A&M +6.5 (-105)
Total: Over 49.5 (-112), Under 49.5 (-108)
Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame Analysis
In one of last year’s early-season blockbusters, Texas A&M hosted Notre Dame at Kyle Field. The Aggies had some College Football Playoff buzz with Mike Elko entering his first year with the program, and I was one of many college football enthusiasts that decided to back A&M. Unfortunately, that blew up in all of our faces. The Fighting Irish ended up winning that game 23-13, and the Aggies offense sputtered as Conner Weigman completed only 12 of his 30 passes for 100 yards and two interceptions. Now, it’s Notre Dame that will host Texas A&M, and the Irish, who lost their opening-week game against Miami, are expected to win by at least a touchdown.
Notre Dame does come into this game off a bye, and giving Marcus Freeman extra time to work with his defense is always dangerous. The Irish were second in the nation in adjusted EPA per play allowed (-0.23) last year, according to Game On Paper. And it’d be surprising if they’re not a top-15 group again. However, it is Chris Ash that is now coordinating this unit, and there’s no guarantee things will be as crisp with him in for Al Golden. And even with an extra week of rest and preparation, there’s a lot the Aggies can do to frustrate the Irish.
This Texas A&M offense is just a lot more explosive than the one Notre Dame saw last year. Marcel Reed, one of my picks to win the Heisman Trophy, is a completely different player than Weigman under center. Reed has thrown for 509 yards with seven touchdowns and no picks this year, and he has also rushed for 105 yards and a score. Reed is improving when it comes to his accuracy in the pocket, and he seems to be taking to offensive coordinator Collin Klein’s coaching. And this year’s Aggies wide receiver group is a billion times better than last year’s. So, this is a more explosive passing game, but it’s also a much better running game. Not only is Reed excellent with his legs, but the team has some really good running backs. Also, the Aggies have one of the best offensive lines in the country.
I just don’t think you can rule out the possibility of this A&M team having a good amount of success on offense, and I don’t see any reason to doubt the defense in this spot. The Aggies are a little unproven compared to last year when looking at the D-Line and linebacking corps, but there’s talent there and I don’t see any reason Elko can’t mold it. And I absolutely love Texas A&M’s defensive backs, which is huge with the team going up against a freshman quarterback in CJ Carr.
Carr did have some moments against Miami in Week 1, as he threw for two scores and gave his team a chance. But the highly-touted quarterback also made a few bad passes, and he’s definitely a little mistake-prone right now. Don’t be surprised if Elko’s defense can capitalize on that.
It’s also hard not to like that Elko is 8-5 against the spread as an underdog in his career. He knows how to get his guys prepared and fired up, and it shouldn’t be hard with this group out for revenge for last year.
Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame Prediction
I wouldn’t be shocked if Notre Dame wins this game at home. The Fighting Irish have a good football team, they’re coming off a loss and they’re playing at Notre Dame Stadium. That’s normally a recipe for success. But there’s not much that separates these two programs, and I think Texas A&M has the better quarterback — and better offense, in general. That’s hard to ignore with a reasonable price out there on 7.5. So, I’m firing that up as a best bet this week, and I’m also playing some moneyline. And I’d suggest checking out the Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame matchup page before this one kicks, as this will likely be a popular game to pick amongst our VSiN hosts and analysts. That page also contains tons of valuable information from our analytics guru Steve Makinen.
Bet: Texas A&M +7.5 (-137 – 1.5 units) & Texas A&M ML (+220 – 0.5 units)
