No. 10 Miami vs. No. 7 Texas A&M Odds & Picks: Best Bets for CFP First Round Game

The Miami Hurricanes meet the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday in the opening round of the College Football Playoff (CFP). ABC/ESPN has live coverage from Kyle Field starting at noon ET.

Miami is the lone ACC team to qualify for the CFP field. The Hurricanes (10-2 SU, 7-5 ATS) lost to Louisville and SMU in conference play. The lone loss for the Aggies (11-1 SU, 5-7 ATS) came in the season finale against Texas, 27-17.

DraftKings offered Texas A&M as a 3.5-point home favorite with a total of 47.5. As of publication, 66% of spread handle was on Miami, but 73% of all tickets were on Texas A&M.

Last night, we were on the UNDER in the Alabama vs. Oklahoma game that opened the CFP.

Best Bet Miami vs. Texas A&M: Against the Spread

The big matchup to watch on Saturday is Miami’s offensive line versus Texas A&M’s front. Can the ‘Canes hold up in the trenches against the 19th-ranked team in total defense, allowing only 309 yards per game?

Texas A&M leads all FBS teams with 41 sacks. DE Cashius Howell has a team-high 11.5 sacks on the season. The Aggies should be able to get after Miami QB Carson Beck, who is no stranger to playing in big games after transferring from Georgia.

But Beck lacks the mobility of Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed, who shares the team lead in rushing TDs with six. Reed is also a capable thrower with a shade under 3,000 passing yards and 25 TD passes. He has been picked off 10 times.

Don’t discount the home-field advantage. Kyle Field is one of the loudest stadiums in the SEC. Expect Reed to outperform Beck, and Texas A&M’s defense to contain Miami.

Pick: Aggies -3.5 (-105 at DraftKings)

Best Player Prop for Texas A&M

QB Marcel Reed Anytime TD Scorer (+180 at FanDuel)

Reed is Texas A&M’s most dynamic player, and he’ll need to be at his best on Saturday. As mentioned, he is tied for the team lead in rushing scores with six.

When protection breaks down, Reed’s got the wheels to break off some explosive runs. These juicy odds convinced us to make a small play on him finding paydirt.

Best Player Prop for Miami

RB Mark Fletcher Jr. Anytime TD (+145 at FanDuel)

Mark Fletcher Jr. leads Miami with 11 total TDs on the season, with 10 of them coming on the ground. He’s scored at least a touchdown in seven games this year.

Given his prolific scoring ways, Fletcher’s worth a small toss at these plus-money odds.