College Football Odds: SEC Week 12 picks against the spread
Nov 14, 2015; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies wide receivers Ricky Seals-Jones (9) and Edward Pope (18) and Jeremy Tabuyo (19) and Christian Kirk (3) celebrate against the Western Carolina Catamounts during the first half at Kyle Field. Texas A&M beat Western Carolina 41-17. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
- Date: Saturday November 21, 2015
- Time: 7:30 PM Eastern
- Location: Nashville, TN
- TV Channel: SEC Network
- Spread: Texas A&M -6.5
- Over/Under Total: 42.5
A game against Western Carolina came at the perfect time for the Texas A&M Aggies, who had lost three of their previous four games until beating the Catamounts 41-17 last week. A much needed victory should give A&M a confidence boost heading into a road trip to play Vanderbilt Saturday that appears much tougher than previously expected.
The Commodores were a virtually unanimous selection to finish dead last in the SEC this season. But thanks to one of the SEC’s toughest defenses, Vandy has two victories over league opponents – including last week’s 21-17 win over Kentucky. The win assures to ‘Dores won’t finish in the cellar in the SEC East. Vanderbilt has allowed just 17.4 points and 319.7 total yards of offense this season, which is a an improvement of 15.9 points and 82.4 total yards over last year’s statistics.
Texas A&M, on the other hand, has struggled offensively by its usual standards. The Aggies averaged 35.2 points and 455.4 total yards per game in 2014 and are down to 30.8 points and 434.0 total yards this season. The good news, though, is that the A&M defense has shown a great deal of improvement under new defensive coordinator John Chavis. Last season, the Aggies allowed 28.1 points and 450.8 total yards per contest. Those numbers are down to 24.0 points and 393.1 total yards this year.
Also, Vanderbilt still struggles on offense. The Commodores rank among the SEC’s worst in scoring (15.4 points per game) and total offense (335.9 total yards per game). Until Vandy finds a way to move the chains consistently, they aren’t likely to score a big upset needed to become bowl eligible. That said, take the home underdogs to cover against Texas A&M.
Next: Charlotte at Kentucky