It’s the most anticipated game of the season and one Alabama has been looking forward to since last November as the Tide visit Texas A&M on Saturday. It’s likely to be the toughest game on Alabama’s regular-season schedule as it looks to win a third straight national title. ESPN GameDay will be on hand and the game is also the most expensive regular season college football game ever per ticket prices. Bama is a 7.5-point favorite on WagerWeb [1]. Johnny Manziel essentially won the Heisman Trophy on Nov. 10, 2012, when the Aggies went into Tuscaloosa and stunned No. 1 Alabama 29-24. Manziel staked the 15th-ranked Aggies to a three-touchdown lead in the first quarter, and Texas A&M held on. Manziel passed for 253 yards and rushed for 92, confounding the Tide defense with his ability to keep plays alive as the Aggies scored the game’s first 20 points. AJ McCarron nearly pulled off a scintillating comeback. He threw one touchdown pass and motored the ball downfield before Deshazor Everett stepped in front of his fourth-down pass at the goal line with 1:36 left. It was one of three Tide turnovers.

The Aggies had been 1-10 against top-ranked teams with the only previous win coming 30-26 over Oklahoma in 2002. Some people have explained the loss as one of three reasons: The Crimson Tide had just come off an emotionally draining comeback victory at rival LSU. Perhaps they weren’t completely ready for the offensive pace of Texas A&M. Maybe they took the Southeastern Conference newcomers a bit lightly. Texas A&M enters this game with a 2-0 record, having beaten Rice and Sam Houston State by an average of 58.5 points. Last time out, the Aggies accumulated 714 yards of total offense, which tied for the fourth-most in program history. Manziel has thrown for 520 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for another 55 and one touchdown this season. He missed the first half of the Rice game. Alabama recorded three non-offensive touchdowns in its season opener against Virginia Tech, marking the first time the Crimson Tide has done so in a game since Sept. 30, 1995, against Georgia. Christian Jones got the Tide on the board first with a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown and then went 94 yards on a kickoff return in the second quarter. Vinnie Sunseri scored the first touchdown of his career with a 38-yard interception return. The Tide were off last week.

Alabama has proven tough to beat when winning the turnover battle since the start of the 2008 season. The Crimson Tide is 41-0 in that time when the Tide has fewer turnovers than its opponents. WagerWeb trends: Aggies are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 conference games. Aggies are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games in September. Aggies are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game. Aggies are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a S.U. win. Crimson Tide are 14-6 ATS in their last 20 games in September. Crimson Tide are 2-5 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.

Written by WagerWeb for VegasTopDogs.com