Texas A&M Aggies 2016 NCAA Football Preview

Texas A&M Aggies 2016 NCAA Football Preview

TEXAS A&M AGGIES

Southeastern Conference – West Division

 

2015 Record – 8-5

ATS – 4-8-1

 

2016 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating Rank

West Division #4

Conference #7

 

2015 Recap

The Aggies’ QB mess finally caught up with them down the stretch. Whether it was discontent with the coaching, frustration over playing time, injuries or poor performance, it doesn’t matter right now. They still managed to win 8 games on the season and only lost to Louisville 27-21 in the Music City Bowl despite being down to their 3rd string QB. The defense was sneaky good last year and in our opinion prevented a total meltdown.

 

2016 Preview

OFFENSE

Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight won the starting QB job during the spring and the potential is definitely there for a really big year. There are a bunch of explosive options at WR and if the offensive line can do a decent job in pass protection Knight is going to do some damage to opposing pass defenses. The offensive line is our prime concern on this team as they are coming off a season in which they allowed 37 sacks and they only return two starters from last season’s unit. Leading rusher from 2015 Tra Carson (1,100-yard season) departs and it is not clear who the main option will be in the backfield. Overall, there is a lot of talent but some question marks to begin the season.

JUGGERNAUT ALERT – WR/PR/KR Christian Kirk had a phenomenal freshman season. Kirk had a 1,000-yard season receiving with 7 TDs and added a couple of TDs on punt returns. In fact, he averaged over TWENTY yards per punt return (14-341 24.4 2 TD) and was only a couple of returns away from officially qualifying on top of the FBS leaderboard. We look for Kirk to have another big season with Trevor Knight at the controls and have to believe he will be just as dangerous on punt returns in 2016.

DEFENSE

New DC John Chavis did a fine job with the Aggies last season. They improved by 6 points and over 70 yards per game in 2015, and while they still had trouble stopping the run, the pass defense was really good allowing only 10 TD passes and ranking 18th in the NCAA in passing efficiency defense. They also registered 34 sacks and the top two sack leaders from last season are back including 1st Team AA DE Myles Garrett (12.5). Texas A&M has the talent and size up front to be a very good defense and they return three starters in the secondary. They could take another step forward this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS

A good news and bad news scenario for the Aggies this season. It is never easy to replace your P and PK especially when the guy who made 10 FGs from 40+ yards is gone. Christian Kirk is a game changer returning punts and we have confidence they find a good option to return kickoffs.

 

MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10)          6.0

MEGALOCKS says:

The schedule is not easy to start the season. However, if the Aggies can beat UCLA at home in the opener and get on a roll they just might be able to make things interesting in the SEC West. The defense is at least a notch below the elite of the SEC but it is good enough to help win a lot of games if the offensive line plays well and they can find some kind of running game.

Overall, we give the AGGIES a 6.0 ATS Value Rating (Above Average) this season. We really like the look of their defense and think it gives them a good chance to outperform ATS expectations in 2016. The problem with being too optimistic is that the Aggies are 13-25-1 ATS (34%) the past three seasons and we are not crazy about consistently backing a team that catches a lot of attention. With Trevor Knight at QB, a high-scoring offense and a high-profile HC, it may be hard to find value with Texas A&M on a regular basis. However, we do think the trend of losing seasons against the number will end this year.

 

Want more Texas A&M football?

 

Website              

http://www.12thman.com/index.aspx?path=football

Forum           

http://texags.com/forums/5

http://www.secrant.com/rant/texas-a-m-sports/

http://tamu.247sports.com/Board/Texas-AM-Aggies-Forum-20

http://www.scout.com/college/texas-am/forums/2639-aggie-sports-forum

http://www.agtimes.com/boards/viewforum.php?f=1

News

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/texas-aggies

http://bleacherreport.com/texas-am-football

http://thedawgbone.com/

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/texas-a-m-aggies

http://www.goodbullhunting.com/?_ga=1.26019001.54892133.1466463567

Twitter              

https://twitter.com/AggieFootball             (@AggieFootball)

https://twitter.com/aggiefblife                   (@aggiefblife)

https://twitter.com/GBHunting                  (@GBHunting)

https://twitter.com/BrentZwerneman       (@BrentZwerneman)      Brent Zwerneman