Few college football teams in 2022 could claim to have underperformed as profoundly as the Texas A&M Aggies.
Despite commencing the season with a promising No. 6 rank in the Associated Press preseason poll and maintaining a similar position in most public power ratings, the Aggies faltered significantly. Their struggles culminated in a lack of participation in a bowl game, resulting in an overall record of 5-7. This included a challenging 2-6 performance in SEC play.
The downturn began early, with a 17-14 Week 2 defeat against Appalachian State. Texas A&M then experienced a disheartening six-game losing streak from Week 5 to Week 10, failing to breach the 28-point threshold in any of these losses. They languished at the 101st spot nationally in terms of scoring, averaging a mere 22.8 points per game.
Yet, there is a silver lining for the Texas A&M fan base – the betting market appears to predict a resurgence for the upcoming season. While not burdened with the same heightened preseason expectations as the previous year, the Aggies are projected to take a step forward.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Texas A&M is positioned with a win total of 7.5 games for the 2023 season. The odds for the over option are pegged at -176, corresponding to an implied probability of 63.77% that Jimbo Fisher’s team will secure eight or more victories. In contrast, the under alternative stands at +142.
This projection holds credibility given the program’s recent history. Since Fisher’s takeover in 2018, Texas A&M has attained eight or more wins in four out of five seasons, with the previous year being the sole exception.
While Texas A&M remains a dark horse contender for the SEC championship, this status primarily stems from Georgia’s dominant position, being the frontrunner at -110 to secure a consecutive conference title. On the SEC odds board, the Aggies claim fifth place with a value of +2000 to emerge victorious. This ranking places them behind Georgia, Alabama, LSU and Tennessee.
As customary, the SEC West division is fiercely competitive, with Alabama emerging as the favored candidate to clinch the division and earn a berth in the championship game with odds of +105. LSU follows with odds of +185, having reached the SEC championship game in the prior year. Texas A&M has odds of +500 at FanDuel, which translates to an implied probability of 16.67%.
While attaining the SEC championship or even divisional triumph appears challenging, Texas A&M enjoys considerable respect within the College Football Playoff (CFP) landscape. At +1300, they secured the 17th spot among all college football teams, signifying their aspiration to make a notable presence. For comparison, Wisconsin holds odds of +1200 to reach the CFP, with Kansas State closely following at +1600.
Though their odds are set at a distant 60/1 to seize the national championship, it’s worth recalling that TCU similarly faced considerable odds before their surprise journey to the title game last year.
Texas A&M is set to begin the season with a home matchup against New Mexico on Sept. 2.
