At 2-0, the Miami Hurricanes are the 13th-ranked team in the country, but they haven’t exactly played anyone considered top competition.
The good news is they took care of business like they were supposed to in those games, beating Bethune-Cookman and Southern Mississippi by a combined 80 points, going 1-1 against the spread.
The same can’t be said for their opponent on Saturday, No. 24 Texas A&M. After beating Sam Houston 31-0 in its opener, a pedestrian performance against Appalachian State the following week led to an embarrassing 17-14 loss at home.
Now, instead of a top-25 game between undefeated teams facing their first real tests of the season, there’s a real question of whether the six-point home favorites should even be considered favorites. A&M has absolutely not looked the part this season, and my money is on Miami to not only cover but win outright.
The Aggies’ struggles extend beyond their loss to Appalachian. Even in the shutout of Sam Houston, they failed to cover a 34.5-point spread. Quarterback Haynes King threw two interceptions, and the offense managed just 3.4 yards per rush attempt.
King’s struggles were only amplified against an Appalachian team that gave up 63 points in its opener against UNC and came into College Station as 18-point underdogs. He managed just 97 yards passing on 4.9 yards per attempt. So, why exactly would we expect King and company to play better against Miami, even if that secondary is beatable?
Of course, the ‘Canes will have to score on a stout A&M defense too. And they’ll have to do it without top wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, who has been ruled out with a foot injury. But they’ve at least shown some ability to get going on offense this season behind a strong rushing attack and quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.
Rather than trying to predict when or if it’ll click for Jimbo Fisher’s squad, I’ll roll with the team that has played better football more consistently through two weeks. I’m taking Miami in game that stays under 44.5 points at around 23-20.
