Early Preview For No. 10 Miami Hurricanes at No. 7 Texas A&M in the College Football Playoff
The Miami Hurricanes made it into the dance.
Despite Notre Dame being ranked ahead of the Hurricanes for most of the season, the College Football Playoff committee shocked the world and bounced Notre Dame out of the tournament entirely. The committee cited Miami's head-to-head win over Notre Dame being the deciding factor.
The drama surrounding their entry into the playoffs isn't something that should concern Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal going into his first playoff appearance since being hired by Miami in 2021. The 11-1 Texas A&M Aggies are not going to make this first playoff appearance easy on the Hurricanes. The Aggies are also coming for revenge after losing to the Hurricanes two seasons ago in a thrilling shootout.
How the defenses compare
Both defenses in this matchup rank inside the top 20 in the country. Once the playoffs arrive, most teams have competitive and tough defenses. This is the case for the Miami Hurricanes and Texas A&M Aggies.
Hurricanes defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman has led the No. 11 ranked total defense in the country. The Hurricanes are allowing 277.8 yards of offense per game while the Aggies rank No. 19 in total defense allowing 309.8 yards of offense per game. However, there's a specific facet of defense that Miami dwarfs Texas A&M in.
Miami's rush defense has been a force all season. There's a reason legendary Alabama head coach and current ESPN analyst Nick Saban praised what this team is capable of on College Gameday recently.
Miami ranks No. 7 in rush defense allowing just 86.8 rushing yards per game. The six teams who allow less rushing yards per game than Miami are all playoff teams. In comparison to the rest of the playoff field, the Aggies have struggled defending the ground game. The Aggies allow 127 rushing yards per game. Running back Mark Fletcher Jr. and his offensive line unit will hope to capitalize on this potential weakness December 20 in College Station.
Texas A&M has had a better pass defense throughout the course of this regular season, but the gap is not as sizable as the one separating the two rush defenses. The Aggies rank No. 21 in passing yards allowed per game with 182.8 while the Hurricanes sit at No. 30 allowing 190.9 passing yards per game.
How the offenses compare
Miami's two regular season losses really cast a shadow on just how talented this Hurricanes roster is. A major part of why those two games ended in losses was due to offensive woes and blunders, which piles onto the perception of Miami nationally. Carson Beck threw four interceptions against Louisville and threw an interception in overtime against SMU to seal Miami's defeat.
In spite of those lackluster performances, Miami's offense still ranks ahead of Texas A&M. The Hurricanes rank No. 18 in the country in total offense with passing being their strength. Sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed leads the Aggies offense and they've thrown for 261.8 yards per game. 261.8 is good for being ranked No. 34 in passing offense.
The Hurricanes throw for 275.8 yards per game and also score 34.1 points per game. Texas A&M rushes ball more effectively with 192.7 rushing yards to Miami's 150 rushing yards per game. There's also a slight 2.2-point difference in points scored as the Aggies score 36.3 per game.
How to watch and early betting odds
Early betting odds from DraftKings Sportsbook has the Aggies favored with a spread of -4. This means a bet on the Texas A&M spread would mean the Aggies have to win by more than four points for the bet to win. The money line odds also have the Aggies favored at -175. This means you'd have to bet $175 to win $100 back in profit which indicates Las Vegas thinks Texas A&M should win the game.
DraftKings also opened the point total at 52.5. With the scoring line at 52.5 and the spread at -4, these lines indicate you can expect a balanced but high-scoring matchup between the two.
Watch the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes take on the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies December 20 at 12:00pm Eastern at College Station inside Kyle Field on ESPN/ABC for the first round of the college football playoffs.
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