In the 2022 edition of the Southwest Classic, which will take place at AT&T Stadium and be broadcast on ESPN at 7 p.m. Eastern Time, No. 10 Arkansas will play No. 23 Texas A&M.
Arkansas is looking to get back on track after eking out a 38-27 victory over FCS Missouri State, while Texas A&M is looking to win their second game in a row with newly appointed quarterback Max Johnson guiding the attack.
Arkansas’s victory against Missouri State was a close one. The game on Saturday will be the second of two consecutive Southwest Classics between Arkansas and Texas A&M, both of whom are currently rated among the top 25 by the AP.
Missouri State Is a Top-10 FCS Team with A Previous Power Five Coach
The Bears jumped out to a quick 17-0 lead over the Razorbacks in the first half, and the Arkansas team had to rally from a deep hole to win.
Despite Missouri State’s position as a top-10 FCS team and the presence of a former Power Five head coach (Bobby Petrino) and quarterback (Jason Shelley), the FCS ranks are dominated by smaller schools.
All of Arkansas’s 38 points came in the second half when the Razorbacks finally found their offensive groove. The final score doesn’t tell the whole story, as this game was closer than the final score indicates.
Arkansas nevertheless managed a double-digit win. After a discouraging Week 2 defeat (17-14 to Appalachian State), Texas A&M got back on track with a Week 3 triumph (against No. 13 Miami).
Although the Aggies came out on top 17-8 after their game at Kyle Field, it was closer than the score showed. Miami had more total yards (392) than Texas A&M (264), but they were unable to score touchdowns in the red zone and gave Texas A&M an excellent field position on one of their two touchdown drives.
What chance do Johnson and the Aggies have against the Razorbacks if they don’t improve their overall game? The following is a betting guide for this week’s Week 4 game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Texas A&M Aggies:
A&M Odds: Arkansas vs Texas
Caesars Sportsbook is the establishment that oversees these odds. The point spread currently has Texas A&M favored by -2.5 points.
- Spread: Texas A&M -2.5
- Over/under: 48.5
- Money-Line: Texas A&M -135; Arkansas +115
Texas A&M reopened as a 2.5-point favorite in this matchup that was to take place on a neutral field over the weekend. During the preseason, the Aggies were favored by about five points. The over/under has also been subject to some change, having moved from its initial point of roughly 53.5 to its current value of 48.
03 Things to Trends in Consideration
Each of the three patterns that are going to be discussed must be given significant thought.
- Nine out of the most recent ten matches that have been played between Texas A&M and Arkansas have resulted in a victory for Texas A&M. Arkansas was beaten by Texas A&M.
- In five of their most recent seven contests, Texas A&M has failed to achieve the required amount of points for the win, bringing their overall point total for those games to an unsatisfactory total.
- It is vital to bear in mind that Jimbo Fisher’s teams have a winning record of 12-5 SU versus opponents who complete at least 62% of their throws, even though Arkansas quarterback K.J.
Jefferson has completed 70.5% of his passes this season. It is of the utmost importance that this reality is always kept in mind.
A&M Prediction: Arkansas vs Texas
- Short Prediction: Arkansas 24, Texas A&M 20. Arkansas (+2.5) covers the spread with the game going UNDER the total (48.5).
From a betting perspective, this is a challenging game due to the high degree of ambiguity around any given result.
It’s true that the “line value” favors Texas A&M after they were formerly favored by 6.5 points, but there’s a good reason why the spread has now narrowed.
While Max Johnson and the Aggies’ offence need to step up their game, the Texas A&M defense is ready for anything that comes their way.
Therefore, we will vote with the Razorbacks, as Jefferson guides Arkansas to a repeat win against the Aggies in this one-sided matchup.