At the 11th hour, Miami made it into the College Football Playoff. Their reward will be a trip to Kyle Field to face Texas A&M in the first round of the CFP.
The Hurricanes spent most of the CFP rankings reveals on the outside looking in despite a strong finish to a 10-2 season and a season-opening win over Notre Dame, who played in last season’s national championship. Carson Beck and Malachi Toney lead a potent offense, but 10-2 Miami has been fueled by its revamped defense. Edge rushers Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor pace the nation’s No. 6 defense, which has allowed fewer than 14 points per game.
Texas A&M had a stellar season that started with 11 straight wins. But the Aggies fell in the regular-season finale to archrival Texas, knocking them out of the SEC championship game and a likely first-round bye. Coach Mike Elko has built a tough offense around quarterback Marcel Reed and dynamic receivers Mario Craver and KC Concepcion.
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Here’s a Miami vs. Texas A&M prediction, plus the game date, start time and how to watch on TV and streaming:
Miami vs. Texas A&M prediction
This is likely the best Aggies team of all time, but they got a bad draw in the Hurricanes. Texas A&M has mostly been in shootouts throughout its impressive season, but it’s been in two rock fights, the kind of football Miami can force with its dominating defense. Mike Elko’s team squeaked out a 16-10 win at home against Auburn and fell 27-17 in the season finale at Texas, and it hasn’t played any of the SEC’s fiercest defenses (Oklahoma, Alabama and Georgia).
Meanwhile, Miami has held high-powered offenses in Florida State and Pitt to 22 and 7 points, respectively, and Heisman contender Jeremiyah Love ran for just 33 yards in Notre Dame’s season-opening loss. A&M’s defense is pretty good, but it’s weaker against the run, and Mark Fletcher, Girard Pringle and a dash of Malachi Toney should be able to exploit those weaknesses.
Miami vs. Texas A&M score prediction
Miami 23, Texas A&M 17
When does Miami play Texas A&M in College Football Playoff?
The Hurricanes will visit the Aggies on Dec. 20 at noon Eastern/11 a.m. Central at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. The game will be on both ABC and ESPN.
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This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Early Miami vs Texas A&M predictions for CFP first round
Reporting by Dan Rorabaugh, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
