When in doubt, follow the money
Texas A&M’s 2022 season was worse than expected by pretty much everyone, and I’m sure sports bettors took it in the shorts with that 5-7 as much as anyone. So you’d assume that those coming back to the table in 2023 would be reluctant to buy in on the Aggies again.
Wrong.
When DraftKings Sportsbok unveiled their college football win over/unders* in May, the Aggies opened at 7.5 wins. As of Aug. 25, they’ve been a big riser, with their over/under now sitting at 9.5 wins.
Obviously betting odds are not a guarantee of anything, as evidenced by the fact that the Ags finished 3.5 wins below their over/under a year ago. But the fact that the betting community is actually HIGHER on A&M this season than they were this time a year ago is telling. It points to many of the same reasons that Aggie fans are optimistic (if cautiously so) about the chances of a big bounce back season in 2023:
- The hiring of Bobby Petrino could revamp the offense
- QB Conner Weigman is a potential breakout candidate as a sophomore
- The Aggies lead the SEC in returning production, including 19 starters that includes all of the offensive and defensive lines
- Several key freshmen from the 2022 class improving as second year players with experience
- Improved injury luck
The odds of all of these things happening is minimal, but even half of these scenarios playing out could give A&M a huge boost from a year ago. We’re just over a week away from finding out whether the Aggie hype is for real this time around.
*Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See http://draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.