By the time the opening weekend of the 2024 college football season was in the books, it was hard to imagine LSU and Texas A&M meeting in a battle for sole possession of first place in the SEC a couple months later.
But that’s exactly the scenario the No. 8 Tigers and No. 14 Aggies find themselves in tonight.
LSU (6-1, 3-0 SEC) has bounced back from a close loss to USC out in Las Vegas with a six-game winning streak, including impressive victories over Ole Miss and Arkansas the last two weeks.
Texas A&M (6-1, 4-0 SEC) has reeled off six straight wins since it dropped its home opener against Notre Dame. The Aggies’ undefeated start in SEC play includes wins over Florida, Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi State. A&M had to grind out a 21-17 win over the Razorbacks, but it beat each of UF, Mizzou and MSU by at least 10 points.
The clash between the Tigers and Aggies kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
LSU vs. Texas A&M Betting OddsBelow are the odds for this game in three key markets: the spread, moneyline and total.
DraftKingsFanDuelbet365LSU spread+1 (-110)+1.5 (-110)+1 (-110)A&M spread-1 (-110)-1.5 (-110)-1 (-110)LSU ML-105+102-105A&M ML-115-122-115Total54.5 (o-112; u-108)54.5 (o-115; u-105)55 (o-105; u-115)
BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BETS
DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK
$1,000 FIRST BET RESET (MUST USE CODE NEWSWEEK)
ESPN BET
$1,500 FIRST-BET OFFER
BETMGM
$200 BONUS OR $1,000 FIRST-BET SAFETY NET
BET365
$1,000 FIRST BET
CAESARS SPORTSBOOK
BET $5, WIN $300 BONUS BETS
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK
LSU vs. Texas A&M Betting PreviewLSU Tigers Betting News, AnalysisSurprise, surprise: the Tigers are (once again) outstanding at QB.
Garrett Nussmeier is not yet worthy of comparisons to Joe Burrow or Jayden Daniels, but he has been on fire in his first season as the starter in Baton Rouge.
The fourth-year junior opened the season by carving up the Trojans, going 29-for-38 passing for 304 yards, 2 TDs and 1 interception, and he hasn’t looked back since. On the year, he’s thrown for 300 yards or more in five of his seven starts, and he proved clutch in wins over both South Carolina and Ole Miss.
LSU trailed both the Gamecocks and the Rebels in the fourth quarter but pulled out wins thanks to last-second heroics by Nussmeier, who led a game-winning drive in Columbia that culminated in a short TD run with 1:12 on the clock.
Nussmeier also showed out in the clutch in his team’s thrillng hiome win over Ole Miss on October 12. He threw the game-tying TD to Aaron Anderson with just 27 seconds left in the fourth quarter before adding a 25-yard game-winning strike to Kyren Lacy in overtime.
What makes LSU a threat in the SEC, though, is its vastly improved defense. The Tigers lost three games a year ago despite having one of the best offenses in the country. This year, however, they are allowing just 20.6 points per game, and they currently boast the No. 38 defense in the nation, according to ESPN’s SP+.
Despite the loss of star LB Harold Perkins, who tore his ACL in a September 21 win over UCLA, the Tigers gave up just six second-half points to high-flying Ole Miss. In addition to Nussmeier’s heroics, LSU got a monster 18-tackle night by rising star linebacker Whit Weeks in the win over Jaxson Dart and Co.
If Weeks and the LSU D can continue to play at a high level, this is a legit SEC and College Football Playoff contender.
Texas A&M Betting News, AnalysisThe Aggies played well on defense in the loss to Notre Dame, but the offensive showing against the Irish left a lot to be desired.
Highly touted QB Conner Weigman threw for just 100 yards while completing 12-of-30 pass attempts, with zero touchdowns and two picks against the Irish. Hot take: no matter how good your defense is, you can’t beat good teams without better play by your offense as a whole and your quarterback in particular.
But after missing three games — all A&M wins over overmatched foes — with a shoulder injury, Weigman has been much better since returning to the field in his team’s 41-10 win over then-undefeated, No. 9 Missouri.
Last week, the Aggies gave up 362 yards of offense in a road win over Mississippi State, but kept the Bulldogs at bay in a 34-24 win as 21.5-point favorites in Starkville.
If there was a red flag in the win over MSU, it was Weigman, who went 15-of-25 for 217 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions. He’ll (obviously) need to play like he did against Missouri — and avoid the mistakes he made against both Notre Dame and Mississippi State — for his team to avoid another disappointing home loss in primetime.
LSU vs. Texas A&M Prediction, Best BetsIf we haven’t made this clear yet, we feel much about Nussmeier in this game than we do about his counterpart on the opposite sidline. A&M is good enough defensively to keep this close, and the home crowd at Kyle Field is as raucous as anywhere in the nation, which could give first-year coach Mike Elko a statement win.
But what we think is more likely is another big night for Nussmeier, who could vault himself up Heisman oddsboards with another high-profile win. Nussmeier, by the way, is currently +3000 at DraftKings to win the Heisman, behind six players.
They might need another fourth-quarter comeback to get it done, but we’ll take the Tigers, who are available at +100 on the moneyline.
LSU vs. Texas A&M Best BetsLSU moneyline (EVEN) 1 unitNewsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator’s terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
Source : Newsweek