College Football Futures: Texas A&M-Texas Rivalry Game (2024)

It was a sad day for college football when one of its greatest rivalries had to come to an end when Texas A&M moved to the SEC. But now that Texas has become part of the conference - rivalry renewed The stakes for this game could reach an unprecedented level this season.

For a rivalry as intense as this one, nothing additional is needed to fire up the fan bases and get the teams ready to play. However, when they consider what could be at stake for the winner... Oh, yeah, this game is going to be must-see TV on November 30.

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College Football Futures: Texas A&M-Texas Rivalry Game

(Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook)

Here are the odds for Texas and Texas A&M to make the College Football Playoff (CFP) this year:

• Texas A&M: Yes: +100/No: -128
• Texas: Yes: -1100/ No: +600

Those odds give Texas a 91.67% chance of making it. When you look at their remaining schedule, it is not hard to see why. They’ll be favored in their four remaining games. They should beat Florida, Arkansas and Kentucky. The Aggies’ odds give them a 50% shot. Like the Longhorns, they should beat their next three opponents, South Carolina, New Mexico State and Auburn, which leaves Texas.

The winner will get to play for the SEC Championship and one of the four guaranteed spots in the CFP.

However, depending on how the rest of the season plays out for Georgia and Tennessee, should Texas win, we could see a four-way tie atop the SEC. That means, depending on how tiebreakers play out, we could see Texas and Texas A&M in the SEC Championship game.

Who Needs the Win More?

After getting off to a slow start with the loss to Notre Dame, it looked like Texas A&M would once again be just another good-but-not-great SEC team destined for a mid-level bowl game. Unimpressive wins over Florida and Bowling Green did little to change that perception.

But then they beat a pretty good Arkansas team. Then they curbstomped Missouri, who was the No. 9-ranked team at the time. A 10-point win over Mississippi State kept the good times rolling. But then they beat another top-10 team last weekend - No. 8 LSU.

Just like that - Texas A&M built a solid CFP resume.

As for Texas, they were a popular preseason pick to be part of the first 12-team playoff bracket. With how they’ve bulldozed their way through the competition, they’ve become heavy favorites to get back the CFP. However, outside of a win over then-No. 1 Georgia, there is nothing impressive about their resume.

A case could be made for the Vanderbilt win. But Texas was a 16.5-point favorite against No. 25 Vanderbilt and escaped with a three-point victory.

As crazy as it might sound, Texas may need the win more than the Aggies.

Prediction

Early odds have Texas listed as a 4.5-point favorite against the Aggies. But after watching Vanderbilt give the Longhorns a ton of trouble, I think the Aggies have a shot (+150). With their resume, they could sneak into the back of the CFP if they win the SEC title game.

Then again, Texas has a 91.67% chance of making the playoffs for a reason.

Picks: Texas A&M to Make the College Football Playoff (+100) and Texas to Miss the College Football Playoff (+600)