Let’s check the NCAAF Week 2 picks. Aggies vs. Buffaloes. Who will cover the spread?
Saturday, September 11, 2021 – 03:30 PM EDT at Empower Field
The first week of college football is behind us, but we learned plenty about the top teams in the country. Alabama looks to be as dominant as ever against the Miami Hurricanes. Georgia’s offense failed to score a touchdown, but the defense appears to be one of the best in the country.
Outside of that, the best college football teams in the country struggled. Clemson, UNC, Wisconsin, and LSU lost in their season openers. Plenty of other top-ranked teams struggled heavily against unranked opponents. No one looked ready to start the college football season.
An example of this was Texas A&M. Despite covering the spread, the Aggies were only up by a touchdown at halftime against Kent State. They recovered in the second half, but they would have lost if they faced a tougher opponent.
This week, Texas A&M will play against the Colorado Buffaloes. Colorado won an easy game against Northern Colorado, but the Aggies will be a much tougher test.
The Aggies are favored by 16.5 points, but is that possible? Here are keys for each team and an NCAAF pick.
The Texas A&M Aggies need to get off to a strong start in their second game of the year. That was their downfall in the season opener. To be fair, it can always take a half to knock the rust off.
Against Colorado, that can’t happen. The Aggies are the better team, but they’ll play this one on the road. That is concerning for A&M. If they get off to a bad start again, they might not have the momentum to bounce back and cover the spread.
The Aggies had a relatively solid passing game, but the three interceptions limited their ability to dominate their previous game. Turnovers can be a game-by-game issue, but it is still concerning that they threw three picks in their opener. If Haynes King wants to remain undefeated before the Aggies play the Tide, they’ll have to win the turnover battle.
Texas A&M has the better roster, but they learned on Saturday that they can’t phone it in. It will take discipline on offense to win this game on the road and cover the spread with it.
Colorado may not technically play this game at home, but they are still playing in the state of Colorado. They need to have an advantage in the stands if they want to win this game outright. Besides that, they would need a strong start to swing momentum away from the Aggies.
Texas A&M has an experienced roster, so don’t expect them to make a ton of mistakes. Last week was a fluke for the Aggies. Because of this, Colorado needs to win the 50-50 plays. If they have an opportunity to score an easy touchdown or force a turnover in the open field, they have to succeed. They need to fall on every loose ball and get lucky as well.
Colorado also needs to establish a running game early. This will do two things. It will wear down Texas A&M, but it will also chew the clock. The next thing you know, we’re in the third quarter of a one-possession game.
It won’t be easy, but Colorado has a chance to cover.
While Colorado is playing this game in their own state, Texas A&M fans travel well. They could easily have half the stadium rocking their colors. Because of that, the crowd isn’t a massive factor.
Texas A&M is looking for a true statement in this game, and they won’t be worried about the next game. This won’t be a trap. Heavily consider the Aggie moneyline in a parlay this weekend.
In terms of the spread, look for the Buffaloes to barely cover. Plenty of underdogs covered the spread in Week 1, and that trend could continue this week. Texas A&M is the better team, but they won’t play a perfect game. If Colorado can capitalize on mistakes, they can lose this game by a respectable margin.
NCAAF Pick: Colorado +16.5 (-110) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.