Texas A
No. 10 seed Miami (10-2) at No. 7 seed Texas A&M (11-1), Saturday, noon EST (ABC)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Texas A&M by 3 1/2.
Series record: Miami leads 3-2.
Both groups are in the College Football Playoff for the very first time where the Hurricanes are competing for their 6th nationwide champion and initially given that 2001. The Aggies have a much longer dry spell after their last national title was available in 1939. The Hurricanes got the last at-large playoff spot over Notre Dame thanks to their 27-24 win over the Fighting Irish in the season opener. Texas A&M aims to recuperate and make a deep playoff follow a 27-17 loss to archrival Texas in the ending spoiled its ideal season. These teams had one typical challenger this season with Miami and Texas A&M handing Notre Dame its only two losses in close video games in the very first two weeks of the season. The winner gets a trip to the Cotton Bowl to play No. 2 seed Ohio State on Dec. 31.
Texas A&M ´ s pass rush vs. Miami ´ s offensive line. The Aggies have 41 sacks this season to tie Oklahoma for many in the nation. Texas A&M is led by defensive end Cashius Howell, a first team AP All-America choice and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year who led the SEC and ranks fourth in the country with 11 1/2 sacks. The Hurricanes are amongst the very best in the nation at safeguarding the quarterback and the 11 sacks they enabled this season are tied for 8th fewest in the country.
Miami: DE Rueben Bain Jr. earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors after accumulating 37 tackles, including 7 1/2 tackles for loss and 4 1/2 sacks this season. He also required a fumble, had an interception and two pass breakups to lead Miami ´ s defense. He had at least one deal with in every game and had a season-high 1 1/2 sacks in the regular-season finale at Pittsburgh.
Texas A&M: WR/PR K.C. Concepcion won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation ´ s most versatile college football gamer and was also an AP first-team All American. He led the group with 886 yards receiving and his 9 TD receptions ranked first in the SEC. He likewise led the league with 460 punt return backyards with two touchdowns. The junior also had a TD go to end up being the very first Aggie in the contemporary period of football to have a TD reception, scoring run and punt return rating in a single season.
Miami won the last meeting in between these groups 48-33 in 2023 at Hard Rock Stadium. ... The Hurricanes have won 10 games in successive seasons for the very first time because 2002-03. ... Miami hasn ´ t allowed more than 17 points in its last four games. ... QB Carson Beck is 34-5 in his career as a starter at Georgia and with the Hurricanes. ... WR Malachi Toney needs 30 yards to publish the 8th 1,000-yard receiving season in school history. ... Mark Fletcher Jr. leads Miami with 685 lawns rushing. ... Jakobe Thomas is first on the group with four interceptions. ... The Aggies are 7-0 in your home this season. ... It ´ s the very first time because 2012 that Texas A&M has actually won a minimum of 10 games. ... The Aggies have actually had at least 100,000 fans at Kyle Field for 10 straight video games dating back to last season. ... QB Marcel Reed has thrown for 963 lawns and 6 goals and added 245 lawns hurrying with 2 ratings in 4 video games this season versus AP Top 25 opponents. He requires 68 backyards passing and 34 lawns rushing to join Johnny Manziel (two times) and Jerrod Johnson as the only players in school history to toss for 3,000 backyards and rush for 500 lawns in a season. ... Texas A&M ´ s receivers rank 11th in the country by balancing 14.1 lawns per catch, led by Ashton Bethel-Roman ´ s 23 backyards per catch. ... The Aggies have actually restricted opponents to 5 or fewer 3rd down conversions in nine straight video games. ... ESPN ´ s College GameDay will broadcast from College Station, Texas, before the game, the ninth time the show will be done on the Texas A&M campus.