2010 College Football Predictions: Texas A&M

July 22, 2010

Texas A&M finished just 3-5 in Big 12 play last season, but don’t be surprised if the Aggies compete with the likes of Oklahoma and Texas for a spot in the Big 12 title game this year. Led by quarterback Jerrod Johnson, A&M put one of the most explosive offenses in the nation on the football field in 2009. The Aggies ranked No. 2 in the Big 12, and No. 5 in the country, in terms of total offense with a 465.8 yards per game average. A&M also ranked No. 3 in the Big 12 (19th nationally) in scoring offense with a 32.9 points per game average. A&M was an inconsistent football team because of its defense, but I was very impressed with the way it competed against the likes of Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Texas. The 39 points A&M scored on Texas were the most the Longhorns allowed all season. The offense will again be one of the best in the country, so the defense must make major strides if the Aggies want to enter the Big 12 title discussion. Texas A&M was the worst defensive team in the Big 12 in 2009. The Aggies ranked 12th in scoring defense, allowing 33.5 points per game, and 12th in total defense, giving up 426.3 points per game. With a new defensive coordinator and almost the entire starting unit back, there is reason to believe improvement is on the way. If A&M can become a middle-of-the-pack defensive team, the offense is good enough to validate the Aggies as a sleeper to win the Big 12 South.

Offense – Johnson has a chance to become A&M’s first quarterback to earn first-team all-league honors since Bucky Richardson did it in 1991. He is coming off an outstanding season in which he threw for 3,579 yards and 30 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. Johnson is also a capable runner, adding eight more touchdowns on the ground. He has no shortage of weapons at his disposal. Led by Jeff Fuller, the receiving corps is easily one of the best in the Big 12. Fuller is physically gifted to say the least, and he was terrific in last season’s battle with Texas, coming up big with 132 yards and three touchdowns. The Aggies ranked No. 2 in the Big 12 in rushing offense a season ago, averaging 184.2 yards per game. With Christine Michael and Cyrus Gray back there is no reason to think they can’t climb to the top of the league in that category.

Defense – The defense will be better under Tim DeRuyter and his attacking 3-4 scheme. The Aggies played not to get beat far too often a season ago, and that just doesn’t work against the talented offenses in the Big 12. DeRuyter wants to see an aggressive defense capable of making game-changing plays. Yes, these kinds of defenses can be susceptible to the big play, but A&M can’t afford to take the passive approach again. One guy more than capable of making game-changing plays is Von Miller. He led the country with 17 sacks in 2009.

Prediction – 3rd Big 12 South - I have little doubt the defense will be better, but I’m not sure it can improve enough to beat Texas on the road and an Oklahoma team that put 65 points on the board against them last season. I have the Aggies finishing the season at 8-4, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they ended up little better than that. Find out how I see the rest of the league playing out in my 2010 Big 12 football predictions.

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Posted by Jimmy Boyd · Filed Under Football Picks, Football Predictions, Football Rankings 

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