College Football Week 3 Odds, Picks & Prediction: Miami at Texas A&M (2022)

Let’s take a look at the College Football Week 3 odds, picks, and predictions for this week’s game: Miami at Texas A&M.

And check out our other Week 3 College Football Game Previews & Picks:

Check out Thor Nystrom’s Week 3 College Football Power Rankings >>

College Football Week 3 Early Odds, Picks & Prediction: Miami at Texas A&M

Miami (FL) (+6) at Texas A&M

The market isn’t penalizing A&M for last week’s home upset loss to Appalachian State. On the one hand, I sorta understand. A&M probably outplayed Appy State, which finished with just a 22.6% postgame win expectancy. And, of course, there’s the general theory of a bounceback performance after a stinker.

But on the other hand, I don’t understand it at all. The Aggies didn’t take Appalachian State seriously. Aggie players were openly and enthusiastically mocking Appy in pregame pep rallies. Now we’re supposed to expect A&M to flip the light switch back on the next week because Miami… is a bigger name?

A&M should have been heavily downgraded in power rankings around the industry for how they’ve looked over the first two weeks. The Aggies have shoddy quarterback play and don’t appear to have a bell-cow running back. The slow-paced, vanilla offense also has predictable play-calling tendencies, making the Aggies easier to defend.

A&M also has serious concerns in the secondary. Despite playing an FCS team and a Sun Belt team over the first two games, the Aggies rank No. 122 in PFF coverage grade. If the Aggies cover like that on Saturday, they’re gonna get lit up by Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke, a prime NFL prospect with a big-league arm.

The Hurricanes destroyed an FCS team and Southern Miss the first two weeks. We haven’t yet seen Mario Cristobal’s team play a quality opponent. But I do believe this Miami team is more dangerous than recent Hurricane incarnations.

The Hurricanes’ running game is going to be better than we thought it would be after Miami unearthed a gem in the portal, Ole Miss transfer RB Henry Parrish Jr., who has looked like a potential star. Miami is also strong in the trenches. The Canes currently rank inside the top-35 in both PFF run- and pass-block grades.

Miami has a nasty pass rush and multiple future NFL players in the secondary. If A&M falls behind, the Aggies will be in serious trouble. A&M QB Haynes King ranks No. 110 out of 131 FBS quarterbacks in passer rating. A&M HC Jimbo Fisher has thus far refused to commit to him as a starter for Saturday.

This spread gives A&M too much respect while seemingly overlooking the Hurricanes. My numbers install Miami as the small favorite.

Pick: Miami (FL) (+6)

What is Betting Against the Spread?

Betting “against the spread” refers to the act of choosing the winning team based on a numeric handicap placed on the team that oddsmakers believe is superior, rather than picking the outright winner. For example, if the Rams face the Bengals, and oddsmakers set the spread at Rams -3.5, you would need Los Angeles to win by 4 or more points in order to cash your Rams bet.

What is an Over/Under Bet?

Over/Under is a wager based on how many points you think will be scored in a specific game. Oddsmakers set the total, and bettors decide whether the final score will be higher or lower than that number. If an Over/Under is set at 44.5 points and you bet Over, you will need the combined score of both teams to be 45 points or higher to win your bet.

What is a Moneyline Bet?

A moneyline bet involves choosing which team you believe will win a specific matchup. The moneyline favorite carries a minus designation, like -130. This means that you need to wager $130 to earn a $100 profit. Conversely, the underdog carries a plus designation, like +110. This means that you win $110 in profit on a $100 bet.

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