No. 17 Texas A&M Aggies at Iowa State Cyclones
Saturday, 10/22/11, 3:30 PM EST, TV: ABC
Opening Point Spread: Texas A&M -21
Current Betting Line: Texas A&M -20.5
Opening Total: 65.5
Current Total: 66
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Texas A&M will be seeking its third consecutive win and second on the road when traveling to Ames, Iowa, and playing inside Jack Trice Stadium. The Aggies are coming off wins over Texas Tech and Baylor. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed 25 of 37 passes for 415 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in last week’s 55-28 win over the Bears as eight-point home favorites. The program has bounced back nicely after getting outscored by 18 and 22 points respectively in second half in losses to Oklahoma State and Arkansas. Texas A&M is 5-1 ATS as a favorite of 10.5 to 21 points, while the ‘over’ is 5-1 in those contests.
The Aggies are one of only two teams in college football that rank in the top 25 in rushing, passing, total and scoring offense. Texas A&M is also one of just 15 teams nationally averaging more than 200 rushing and 200 yards passing. Last week’s win produced some major numbers offensively, including a season-high 681 yards, which was the seventh-highest total in school history.
Iowa State will be playing its 99th Homecoming Game Saturday, coming in with a 3-3 record, including an 0-3 mark in Big 12 Conference play. The Cyclones have trailed in the fourth quarter in all three of their victories this season. Quarterback Steele Jantz has played well since earning the starting job, throwing for 10 touchdowns and running for two more scores. In hopes of pulling off an upset, the team will need to try and keep things close in the opening quarter, getting outscored by a 54-10 margin this season. Iowa State is 15-15 ATS over the last two-plus seasons, while the ‘under’ is 18-10 in that span.
The Cyclones will be meeting the Aggies for the 11th time, coming in with a 1-9 record, including losses in all four games inside Saturday’s venue. Iowa State has failed to cover the last two meetings, including a 35-10 loss as 6.5-point road underdogs on Oct. 31, 2009. A key for the team is holding opponents to under 24 points, which isn’t likely to happen against this week’s opponent, posting a 13-1 record in that situation. The program is 2-15 when allowing more than 24 points.
Bettors will likely back the Cyclones due to their 4-2 ATS mark after two or more straight-up losses, while the Aggies are 4-10 ATS when playing away from College Station.
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