Need some extra action for the Week 9 college football slate? We got you covered! Our CFB insider has 2 best bets for Saturday, October 26. Good luck, folks!
LSU Tigers vs Texas A&M Aggies
#8 LSU heads to Kyle Field on Saturday night to take on the #14 Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies have run the table since losing their season open to Notre Dame. Since that loss, the Aggies have been averaging 34.5ppg and have won 6 straight, including a win over then #9 Missouri 41-10.
In their last game, the Aggies led by as much as 14 points and picked up a 34-24 win over Mississippi State. The defense for Texas A&M has shown up as well this year. They are holding opponents to an average of just 17.7ppg which is 31st in the country.
Like A&M, LSU has been on a tear since losing their opener to USC back on September 1st. While the competition was not the toughest, they did get the best of then #9 Ole Miss just 2 weeks ago and handled a 4-2 Arkansas team 34-10 last week. Garrett Nussmeier has been spinning the ball.
He is averaging over 315 yards per game through the air and has tossed 18 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions. This will be the 1st of 3 tough tasks for the Tigers over the next 5 weeks. They have a bye next but then take on Alabama and then #25 Vandy 2 weeks later.
Best Bet: Texas A&M Aggies -1.5
The #8 team is catching points here on the road to what looks to be an inferior team. The public is already on the Tigers, and we would guess that more comes in as the days go by. Brian Kelly came to LSU in hopes of getting a good shot in the CFB Playoff and his Tigers are well on their way right now.
However, this Aggies team has not gotten the same national recognition and will be giving LSU their best shot, which we think will be enough to get the home win. Look for the Aggies to run the ball and control the time of possession in this one.
Key Betting Trends for LSU at Texas A&M
- A&M is 11-2 SU in their last 13 games at home.
- A&M is 12-1 SU in their last 13 games when playing as the favorite.
Missouri Tigers vs Alabama Crimson Tide
The #21 Missouri Tigers have arguably the toughest QB in the country. Last week against Auburn, they found themselves down by 14 and QB Brady Cook was sent to the hospital. However, after a brief stay, Cook checked himself out and came back to the game to lead the Tigers to a comeback victory.
Cook has accounted for 11 touchdowns on the season. 7 through the air and another 4 on the ground. His 63% completion percentage has not been stellar and the 15 times he has been sacked has stifled drives this season. The defense has been stout. They are allowing just over 15.5ppg to opponents which is good enough for 18th in the country.
Alabama is coming off a rough 24-17 loss to #11 Tennessee last week. This marked their 2nd loss in 7 games and have many in Tuscaloosa wondering if this is a preview of things to come over the next couple seasons without Nick Saban. In the loss, the Tide were outgained on the ground 214-75.
That, along with going 3-14 on 3rd down, made it difficult for the Tide to win that one. However, they did lead 17-14 early in the 4th quarter but could not stop Nico and the run game from scoring 10 unanswered points to win 24-17. Now Bama has to pick themselves up for this contest with #21 Missouri before facing #8 LSU two weeks later.
Best Bet: Missouri Tigers +17.5
Missouri is a tough team and can run the ball effectively. They are averaging nearly 175 yards per game on the ground and that is where Bama has shown that they can be susceptible to on defense.
We like Missouri to keep this one close as it is a sandwich game for Bama between the Tennessee and LSU matchups.
Key Betting Trends for Mizzou at Bama
- Missouri is 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games.
- Missouri is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games on the road.
- Missouri is 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games playing as the underdog.
- Alabama is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games playing as the favorite.
