The 23rd-ranked Texas A&M Aggies will open their 2023 season against the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday night from Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.
Texas A&M is coming off of a disappointing 5-7 season that had many questioning head coach Jimbo Fisher. Changes were made in the offseason and Fisher brought in Bobby Petrino to be the offensive coordinator. Petrino, a controversial figure, is the former head coach at Louisville, Arkansas and the Atlanta Falcons. He is widely known as one of the best offensive minds and playcallers in football.
Many of Texas A&M’s struggles came with their inability to win close games. After starting the season 3-1, the Aggies lost six straight with four of the losses coming by six points or less. They did close with a home win against LSU to end the season on a positive note.
Fisher’s most successful teams have had strong play at quarterback and the expectations are high for starter Conner Weigman. He was thrown into the fire as a freshman and started the final four games of the season. Weigman performed relatively well, throwing for 896 yards and eight touchdowns in those games.
He could emerge as a darkhorse Heisman contender and is already at +4000 on FanDuel Sportsbook, giving him better odds than more experienced players like South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler (+5000) and Michigan running back Blake Corum (+5000).
Texas A&M is 5-0 against New Mexico with its most recent win coming in 2021.
Let’s take a closer look at the odds and trends:
New Mexico Lobos at Texas A&M Aggies
Time/TV: 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Point Spread: Texas A&M -38.5
Over/Under: 48.5
Preview: The key for the Aggies is going to be balance on offense. While a lot of the attention will be on Weigman, the running backs are going to get a lot of touches. Projected starter Amari Daniels and backups Leveon Moss and Rueben Owens should get plenty of touches.
New Mexico had one of the worst offenses in the country last season and hope that new quarterback Dylan Hopkins can make a difference. Hopkins, a transfer from UAB, has thrown for 4,750 yards and 31 touchdowns in 26 games at UAB.
Expect Texas A&M to establish superiority up front early and cruise to a win.
Prediction: Texas A&M 45, New Mexico 6
