South Carolina-Texas A&M prediction: Aggies present the challenge of competence
Jimbo Fisher has yet to face South Carolina with a great Texas A&M team.
In two years, the Aggies have had plenty of talent, but they’ve not assembled a top-flight defense or offense. The closest might have been the 2018 offense, a group that broke into the top 20 nationally in yards per play and points per game.
But what the Aggies have had against the Gamecocks the past few years was simple: all-around competence.
Fisher’s squads have been good on both offense and defense, and solid enough on special teams. They’ve never been great, but good at both makes a team more than solid. In 2018, Texas A&M was enough to run out to a 16-0 lead against a Gamecocks offense that was sputtering and then good enough to hold off a late run when USC finally figured things out. In 2019, the Aggies couldn’t pull away from a bad Gamecocks squad until the early fourth quarter.
This year’s No. 7 Aggies are much the same. The offense isn’t loaded with game-changers, but it’s been pretty good, better than last year. The defense has again been solid, not amazing. And that’s probably enough against this Gamecocks team.
USC has been all over the map. A defense that solid against talented Auburn got shoved around by LSU, which turned around and was limp against Auburn. The offense was decent but not explosive through the start of the season, then explosive and not much else in Baton Rouge.
Getting a read on what the open week might mean for USC is tricky at best. Will Muschamp is 4-0 off byes, with the Georgia upset last year, two tight wins against worse teams (Tennessee in 2018, Vanderbilt in 2017) and topping UMass with a freshman QB named Jake Bentley in his first start.
There isn’t a ton to exploit with the Aggies, outside a defense that had some issues against two powerhouse teams (Alabama, Florida) and Arkansas. South Carolina has been inconsistent in exploiting opponents’ weaknesses overall.
If the Gamecocks deliver a performance that overcomes the 7.5-point Vegas spread, it bodes well for a second half of the season when things should lighten up a bit. But that would require a notable step from the first five games.
The pick: Texas A&M 34, South Carolina 24
South Carolina (2-3) vs No. 7 Texas A&M (4-1)
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia
TV: ESPN
Line: Texas A&M by 7.5
