The 2025 NCAA football season is heading into Week 9, and one game fans will want to catch is the last nationally televised matchup between the No. 3-ranked Texas A&M Aggies and the No. 20-ranked LSU Tigers. That ABC game takes place at Tigers Stadium in Baton Rouge.
The Aggies are the No. 1 team in the SEC with a perfect 7-0 record, including four SEC wins. Texas A&M is coming off a 45-42 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks in Week 8. The Aggies were a -8.5 betting favorite over the Razorbacks heading into that matchup.
The Tigers are 5-2 overall this season and 2-2 in the SEC, which puts them in 9th place in the conference. LSU opened the season on a 4-0 run, but the team is 1-2 in its past three games. In their most recent outing, the Tigers lost 31-24 to the Vanderbilt Commodores in a road game.
The Aggies and Tigers have played 63 times, and LSU leads the series 32-24-3. The team’s most recent meeting went to Texas A&M by a score of 38-23 in October 2024.
| Teams |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | -143 | -140 | -140 |
| LSU Tigers | +123 | +120 | +120 |
| Texas A&M -2.5 | -119 | -115 | -115 |
| LSU +2.5 | -101 | -105 | -105 |
| Over 48 Points | -113 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 48 Points | -107 | -110 | -110 |
With the 2025 NCAA football season upon us, be sure to check out our NCAAF playoff odds, as well as our betting picks to win the SEC in 2025.
The only teams ranked higher than the Texas A&M Aggies heading into Week 9 of the NCAA football season are the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers, who both also hold perfect 7-0 records. Ohio State is idle this week, while Indiana is a -25 point favorite over the UCLA Bruins. Texas A&M faces a big test against SEC foe LSU on Saturday night.
The Texas A&M defense has been solid this season, but it has allowed some long passing plays, giving up passes of more than 20 yards to Arkansas (2), Florida (4), and Mississippi State (1). The Aggies’ defense averages 200.9 passing yards surrendered per game. They need to shore up that coverage against LSU. If Texas A&M can shut down LSU’s passing game, it will have an advantage, as the Tigers’ running game has not been good this season.
Texas A&M also needs to take advantage of weakness on the offensive line. They need to rush, rush often, and put pressure on Garrett Nussmeier.
On offense, Texas A&M should look to emulate what Vanderbilt did against LSU last week, which is to keep the ball on the ground. Vanderbilt put up 239 rushing yards against LSU, and Texas A&M has the roster to exceed that number. Once they establish the run, it will free up the Aggies’ passing game.
The home team has won this matchup the last eight times, and the LSU Tigers enter Saturday’s game on a 17-1 run in night games at home. The team’s only loss came against Alabama last season. To add pressure to LSU, they have games against Alabama, Arkansas, and Oklahoma on their schedule for the remainder of the season.
The Tigers need to come out fast and firing on all cylinders. They cannot go into halftime behind. If that happens, Texas A&M will run the ball, tire out the LSU defense, and chew up the clock in the second half.
The Tigers are the No. 6 passing team in the SEC, averaging 253.7 yards per game in the air. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is averaging 7.1 yards per pass this season, and his 1,638 yards on the year rank him fifth in the conference. His 11 passing touchdowns are the seventh most in the SEC.
If LSU fails in the air, they will struggle on Saturday. The team is second-last in the SEC in yards per game on the ground with an average of 112.9.
LSU’s offense must be ready for an aggressive pass rush and have quick plays dialed in for this game. Nussmeier needs to react quickly and get the ball to open receivers. The team cannot allow him to scramble or ad-lib.
This feels like a game that will decide if LSU remains in the college football playoff hunt. With that, the expectation is that the Tigers will come out looking to make a statement against a Texas A&M team that could be due for a fall-off performance. However, the Aggies know what this game means to LSU and should therefore be ready to match their intensity with a deeper roster.
The betting pick is for the Texas A&M Aggies to beat the LSU Tigers in Week 9.
Texas A&M is the deeper and more dangerous team. Not only will the Aggies beat the LSU Tigers on Saturday night, but they will cover the spread.
The betting pick is that the Texas A&M Aggies will cover against the LSU Tigers.
See below the best online betting sites. You can read our comprehensive reviews to help determine the best option for your 2025 NCAA football betting.
