Texas A&M embarks on the first of two intriguing non-conference games as it welcomes Appalachian State to Kyle Field in Week 2 action on Saturday.
It's safe to say App State won't score 61 points on the Aggies' defense, as it did against North Carolina's last week, in a frenzied 2 point loss.
But the Mountaineers can put some points on the board. So, too, can A&M, which defeated Sam Houston, 31-0, in last weekend's opener.
What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.
Texas A&M vs. Appalachian State odds, spread, line, predictions
Football Power Index is siding with the Aggies, who have a comfortable 82.5 percent chance to defeat the Mountaineers in Week 2.
By contrast, App State has a 17.5 percent shot to upset Texas A&M.
Oddsmakers also favor Texas A&M, which comes into the matchup as 17 point favorites, according to SI Sportsbook, which set the over/under mark at 55 points.
FPI bumped A&M down in its latest college football rankings to the No. 21 spot nationally, and projects it will win just 7.1 games on the year, good for only 8th best in the SEC.
The index predicts Texas A&M will be 11.9 points on average better than every team on its schedule.
App State comes in at 2nd in the Sun Belt, according to the computers, which predict it will win 7.9 games and should be 2.6 points better than its opponents on average this season.
AP top 25 voters named Texas A&M the No. 6 team in the Week 2 poll, unchanged from the week before.
College Football Power Index
ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.
Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.
College football rankings
According to AP top 25 poll
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Michigan
- Clemson
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Notre Dame
- Baylor
- USC
- Oklahoma State
- Florida
- Utah
- Michigan State
- Miami
- Arkansas
- Pittsburgh
- NC State
- Wisconsin
- Kentucky
- BYU
- Ole Miss
- Wake Forest
- Tennessee
- Houston
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