Texas A&M Opens Up As Massive Favorites vs. Mississippi State

The Maroon and White survived an upset in Week 5 of the college football season in the SEC opener at Kyle Field to maintain an undefeated 4 season.

With the win, the Aggies improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2016, and it was also the fourth straight season to open up with an SEC opener, which is enormous for coach Mike Elko’s program to get a step closer to the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Mississippi State is traveling with upset stomachs after losing a devastating 41-34 overtime game to a ranked Tennessee Volunteers team. That win would've boosted its resume immensely. Instead, it suffered its first conference loss of the year and will have to quickly turn around with an upset to stay in the SEC title race.

Texas A&M 14.5 Favorites vs Mississippi State

Oct 5, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; The Texas A&M Aggies run onto the field prior to facing the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field. | Matt Guzman-Texas A&M Aggies On SI

This past Sunday, the AP poll was released, and the AP voters made their voices heard on how they felt about the Aggies. The Aggies are now ranked No. 6 in the country after being ranked No. 9 overall. With help from losses by Penn State, LSU, Georgia, and Florida State, it cleared the way for the Aggies to continue moving up in the polls.

If the Bulldogs had defeated the Volunteers, the conversation would likely have fallen on how the Aggies have another strong opponent to prepare for. Instead, the Bulldogs sit on the outside, looking in.

According to the ESPN Matchup Predictor, A&M currently has an 78.9 percent chance of pulling out a victory, being 14.5-point favorites. It likely fluctuates as the week goes on, but do not be surprised if this game comes down to the wire.

In 2024, the Aggies traveled to Starkville, Mississippi, in mid-October, hoping to walk out with a statement win, but instead were caught off guard and dug a hole they couldn’t get out of. The final score ended with Mississippi State pulling out a 34-24 win.

Most recently, the Bulldogs came to Kyle Field in 2023 and were defeated 51-10 in the last game that former A&M coach Jimbo Fisher coached before being let go. The all-time series is 9-9.

Mississippi State has head coach Jeff Lebby, who is in his second season leading the team. His quarterback is Blake Shapen, who is six-foot-one from Shreveport, Louisiana. His statistics are impressive, with over 1,000 yards passing and eight touchdowns.

A&M’s defense, which gave up only 10 points to Auburn, will need to be locked in and ready to go as Mississippi State averages 39.8 points per game.

Game Day

Kickoff between the Aggies and the Bulldogs is at 6:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.