First round College Football Playoff games don’t have fun bowl names. But if there were any CFP contest fitting of one, it’s the “We Beat Notre Dame” matchup between the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes and No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies.
Miami (10-2) snuck into the CFP at the Fighting Irish’s expense after defeating them 27-24 in Week 1. Texas A&M (11-1) made the CFP thanks in-part to its 41-40 victory over Notre Dame in Week 3. Now, the Hurricanes and Aggies will face off in College Station for the right to battle Ohio State in the CFP Quartefinals.
This is both Miami’s and Texas A&M’s first-ever CFP appearance. That’s a tremendous accomplishment, but both school’s fanbases want more and only 1 of them can get it. Based on his CFP and bowl predictions piece, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg believes it will be the Hurricanes who earn a 31-28 victory.
Here’s an excerpt of Rittenberg’s analysis:
Kyle Field is always electric and should help Texas A&M in its first CFP game, but Miami should benefit from the earlier start time, rather than having to deal with the 12th Man at night. Both teams have tremendous talent at wide receiver and playmaking quarterbacks… but Miami’s improved defense under coordinator Corey Hetherman should provide the Canes an edge in this game… the Hurricanes force a late takeaway and get out of Aggieland with a [31-28] win.
The Aggies are 3.5-point favorites in this game according to DraftKings. Miami and Texas A&M will kick off at 12:00 p.m. E.T. on Saturday, Dec. 20 (ABC).
