Texas A&M Hosts Miami in College Football Playoff Debut for Both Teams

No. 10 seed Miami (10-2) at No. 7 seed Texas A&M (11-1), Saturday, twelve noon EST (ABC)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Texas A&M by 3 1/2.

Series record: Miami leads 3-2.

Both teams are in the College Football Playoff for the first time where the Hurricanes are competing for their sixth championship game and first since 2001. The Aggies have a a lot longer dry spell after their last nationwide title came in 1939. The Hurricanes got the last at-large playoff area over Notre Dame thanks to their 27-24 win over the Fighting Irish in the season opener. Texas A&M intends to bounce back and make a deep playoff run after a 27-17 loss to archrival Texas in the regular-season ending spoiled its perfect season. These groups had one typical opponent this season with Miami and Texas A&M handing Notre Dame its only two losses in close games in the first 2 weeks of the season. The winner gets a journey to the Cotton Bowl to play No. 2 seed Ohio State on Dec. 31.

Texas A&M ´ s pass rush vs. Miami ´ s offensive line. The Aggies have 41 sacks this season to tie Oklahoma for the majority of in the country. Texas A&M is led by defensive end Cashius Howell, a first group AP All-America selection and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year who led the SEC and ranks fourth in the nation with 11 1/2 sacks. The Hurricanes are among the finest in the nation at safeguarding the quarterback and the 11 sacks they enabled this season are connected for eighth fewest in the country.

Miami: DE Rueben Bain Jr. made ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors after stacking up 37 takes on, consisting of 7 1/2 tackles for loss and 4 1/2 sacks this season. He also required a fumble, had an interception and two pass separations to lead Miami ´ s defense. He had at least one deal with in every game and had a season-high 1 1/2 sacks in the regular-season ending at Pittsburgh.

Texas A&M: WR/PR K.C. Concepcion won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation ´ s most flexible college football gamer and was also an AP first-team All American. He led the team with 886 lawns getting and his 9 TD receptions ranked initially in the SEC. He also led the league with 460 punt return yards with two goals. The junior also had a TD go to become the first Aggie in the modern-day period of football to have a TD reception, scoring run and punt return score in a single season.

Miami won the last meeting between these groups 48-33 in 2023 at Hard Rock Stadium. ... The Hurricanes have actually won 10 video games in successive seasons for the very first time considering that 2002-03. ... Miami hasn ´ t enabled more than 17 points in its last 4 video games. ... QB Carson Beck is 34-5 in his profession as a at Georgia and with the Hurricanes. ... WR Malachi Toney requires 30 backyards to post the 8th 1,000-yard receiving season in school history. ... Mark Fletcher Jr. leads Miami with 685 lawns rushing. ... Jakobe Thomas is initially on the group with 4 interceptions. ... The Aggies are 7-0 at home this season. ... It ´ s the very first time because 2012 that Texas A&M has actually won a minimum of 10 video games. ... The Aggies have actually had at least 100,000 fans at Kyle Field for 10 straight games dating back to last season. ... QB Marcel Reed has tossed for 963 lawns and six touchdowns and added 245 yards rushing with two scores in 4 video games this season against AP Top 25 challengers. He requires 68 lawns passing and 34 backyards hurrying to join Johnny Manziel (two times) and Jerrod Johnson as the only players in school history to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 500 backyards in a season. ... Texas A&M ´ s receivers rank 11th in the nation by averaging 14.1 lawns per catch, led by Ashton Bethel-Roman ´ s 23 yards per catch. ... The Aggies have limited opponents to five or less 3rd down conversions in 9 straight games. ... ESPN ´ s College GameDay will transmit from College Station, Texas, before the game, the ninth time the show will be done on the Texas A&M school.