Texas A&M Aggies 2009 Football Betting Preview

With the College Football 2009 Season just around the corner, we are providing season previews for all 120 Division I-A college football teams to give you the betting edge. Follow the best College Football Handicappers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview. Be sure to bookmark SportsbookBuzz.com your source for Sportsbook Reviews. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on the College Football in our recommend sportsbooks.View the rest of our 2009 NCAA Football Season Previews here.

Texas A&M 2008 Record: (4-8, 2-6)
Texas A&M 2008 Bowl: none
Texas A&M Coach: Mike Sherman (4-8 at Texas A&M, 4-8 overall)
Texas A&M Offensive Coordinator: Nolan Cromwell
Texas A&M Defensive Coordinator: Joe Kines
Texas A&M Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Cyrus Gray, RB, 363 yards
• Passing: Jerrod Johnson, QB, 2,435 yards
• Receiving: Ryan Tannehill, WR, 844 yards
• Tackles: Matt Featherston, LB, 94
• Sacks: Von Miller, LB, 3.5
• Interceptions: Trent Hunter, S, 3

Notable Texas A&M Returning Players: CB Terrence Frederick, WR Jeff Fuller, G Lee Grimes, DT Tony Jerod-Eddie, C Kevin Matthews, TE Jamie McCoy, WR Terrence McCoy, DT Lucas Patterson, CB Jordan Pugh, OT Michael Shumard, LB Garrick Williams

Texas A&M Key Losses: DE Michael Bennett, P Justin Brantly, CB Arkeith Brown, LB Alton Dixon, RB Mike Goodson, DE Cyril Obiozor, OT Travis Schneider

2008 was a massive disappointment for Aggie fans. The hiring of former Packer coach Mike Sherman was greeted with great fanfare and the sleeping giant that is Texas A&M appeared to be stirring in its sleep. Unfortunately, a season opening home loss to Arkansas State was an omen for a tough year and the Aggies finished with a distressing 4-8 record. Despite the failures on the field, Sherman has proven to be a big time recruiter, bringing in one of the country’s best classes last season, and A&M appears to have some momentum going in one of the country’s best high school football states. With sixteen starters back, can Sherman begin to try and poke the sleeping giant out of hibernation and earn a bowl berth?

The Aggies were very young last season on offense and started five underclassmen! Junior quarterback Jerrod Johnson took over after incumbent Stephen McGee was injured in the early going and played well, throwing for 2,400 yards and 21 touchdowns against only 10 picks while running for 3 scores. This season, he has to be the unquestioned man in charge if the Aggies want to improve upon their dismal 2008. The really good news is that his top three receivers from last season are back this fall. Sophomore wideout Ryan Tannehiil led the team in catches and receiving yards and will also serve as a backup at quarterback while senior tight end Jamie McCoy was one of the Big XII’s most productive at his position. However, the player to watch is sophomore Jeff Fuller, who caught 50 passes in 2008 for 630 yards and 9 touchdowns, earning him 2nd team Freshman All-American honors. He could be a breakout star this fall and forms one of the league’s most exciting young duos with Tannehill.

After reading about the accomplishments of A&M’s returning receivers, it should be abundantly clear that the biggest offensive problem in College Station last season was that the Aggies simply couldn’t run the football. After averaging less than 90 yards per game, A&M must also deal with the departure of Mike Goodson early to the NFL. Despite the loss of a 4 th round NFL tailback, I expect the Aggies to field a stronger running game this year as they have a much improved line that returns all five starters. Sophomore Cyrus Gray was impressive as the backup last year and I expect him to have a big year as the feature back while highly touted true freshman Christine Mitchell should also see the field. There is veteran talent across the board up front and Johnson should find a lot more time to throw the football this season. The Aggies have all the pieces in place to filed a much improve offense and I think that A&M will be a much more difficult team to stop in 2009.

The defense was where Texas A&M lost games last season as they allowed 37 points per game, worst in the entire conference. The Aggies were dominated on the ground to the tune of 220 yards per game and they’ll have to start there if they want to fix the defense. Expect another year of Sherman playing largely younger players as five of the six returning starters were underclassmen last year. The defensive line in A&M’s new 3-4 scheme is going to be a concern as only one starter is back and all three positions could be manned by freshmen or sophomores! Starting young guys up front isn’t the best way to fix your run defense. At linebacker, senior Matt Featherston led the team in tackles last season with 94 while junior Von Miler was the Aggies’ best player in the spring. Expect him to play a hybrid role much like James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, with at least four underclassmen expected to start up front, the Aggies could struggle once more to stop the run. However, I expect a much better pass rush thanks to Miller coming off the edge and a more varied front that should confuse opposing linemen.

The secondary is much more experienced but I’m not sure that experience will turn into production in 2009. The good news is that sophomore safety Trent Hunter made 65 tackles and 3 interceptions last year and earned 2nd team Freshman All-American honors. Unfortunately, he was by far the best player in a secondary that allowed 65.5 percent of passes to find their target last season. While I think that Hunter will be a star and that the secondary will be a little bit stronger with a better pass rush, I can’t honestly say that I think A&M’s secondary is one of the conference’s better groups. Overall, I think that the Aggies are going to struggle stopping the run once more and the presence of a lot of inexperience up front could mean another fun season for opposing offenses. I’m afraid A&M’s youth movement is at least a year away from producing a solid defense.

The schedule is the best news for the Aggies this fall. They have three home games against weak opposition in the non-conference portion before renewing their historical rivalry with old Southwest Conference rival Arkansas in Dallas. I can’t picture another Arkansas State debacle occurring so I expect them to start with at least a 3-1 record. Unfortunately, there is not one easy game when you play in the Big XII South and despite having three home games in division play against Oklahoma State, Baylor and archrival Texas, I don’t know if the Aggies will win a single division game for the 2nd year in a row. Luckily, their draw from the North has them facing both Iowa State and Kansas State, so the Aggies should do well against the other division. However, playing in the Big XII South is not conducive to a quick turnaround and their last four games will be very tough.

Texas A&M is one of those schools that everyone thinks should be field a better football team than they actually do. The Aggies have a huge stadium, a loyal fan base, lots of tradition and are located in the heart of one of the best football states in the Union. At very least, they should always be in a bowl game! Well, Sherman’s recruiting should quickly turn things around and I think that the Aggies are on the right path with him in charge. A&M had three true freshmen named to the Freshman All-American 2nd team last year, so Sherman’s recruiting has already paid dividends. With a very young team for the 2nd consecutive year, Aggie fans will need to temper their expectations because Sherman is slowly sowing the seeds of a turnaround. I expect the Aggies to have a much improved offense this season that should score enough points to win plenty of games. However, I don’t like their defense and I think they’ll be playing a lot of high scoring games. That said, I think Texas A&M has a shot at returning to the postseason this year. If they can surprise Arkansas or a few Big XII foes, six or seven wins is a strong possibility.

Texas A&M Big Games: Oct. 3rd vs. Arkansas( Dallas), Oct. 10th vs. Ok St, Oct. 24th @ Texas Tech, Nov. 7th @ Colorado, Nov. 14th @ Oklahoma, Nov. 21st vs. Baylor, Nov. 26th vs. Texas

Texas A&M’s Strength:

The offense showed plenty of potential last year. Quarterback Jerrod Johnson was thrown into the fire and did about as well as one could expect. He threw 21 touchdown passes and ten interceptions and had moments of brilliance. With his favorite target, Ryan Tannehill, also returning, the passing game could be in good shape. However, Tannehill is also a decent quarterback himself and if Johnson struggles, Tannehill could be taking some snaps. Either way, his inclusion on the offense gives Coach Sherman some interesting options. Even if Tannehill is under center, Texas A&M has a large group of quality receivers led by Jeff Fuller and tight end Jamie McCoy.

Texas A&M’s Weakness:

The offensive line was pretty bad last year and that was quite obvious every time the Aggies tried to run the ball. Four starters return to the line, but replacing tackle Travis Schneider will be a problem. The line on the other side has plenty of problems too. Nobody on the line did much to create any pressure and both starting defensive ends are gone. Without any semblance of a pass rush, the secondary is in trouble. Terrence Frederick, Trent Hunter and Jordan Pugh are all back from a group that did surprisingly well against the pass considering they play in the Big 12 South. But if there is a pass rush, the secondary can actually be something to be proud of.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Aggies:

The good news on the defensive side of the ball is the return of linebackers Matt Featherston and Von Miller. Featherston tallied 94 tackles last year and should emerge as the senior leader of the defense. The defense had a lot of new faces during the 2008 campaign while Coach Sherman was trying to implement his style of play. Year two should be better and there is actually more talent on this squad than a team with a 4-8 record would indicate.

Texas A&M Betting Odds

Will Texas A&M go to a Bowl Game this year? Or, will their season be lackluster? Either way, you can still enjoy Texas A&M Football Betting at our feature sportsbooks. Texas A&M & College Football Betting is serious business; where you can make a ton of loot placing informed, smart Texas A&M bets. Check out these highly reliable, trustworthy, online sportsbooks.

Join BetUs.com Today and Bet on Texas A&M and receive a 50% Sportsbook Bonus!

NCAA Football Handicapping Picks

Check out our weekly Sports Handicapping Picks from the world’s best handicappers. Trust our handicapping experts offering premium and free NCAA Football Picks and packages daily. Also stay up to date with weekly College Football Matchups, and buy some picks to win some BIG cash this football season at our recommended sportsbooks.