Aggies Will Take Down USC Missing Key Players

USC vs. Texas A&M, 10:30 ET

College Bowl season has gone fairly well for me to this point in the year. We grabbed another win last night in the game between Rutgers and Kansas State. I took the team total there for Kansas State, set at 29.5 and Rutgers couldn't stop them (not that Kansas State could stop Rutgers either). They ended up scoring 44 points and winning a tight game. Now we go back to the college gridiron, looking to capture another unit as USC takes on Texas A&M in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl. 

USC had a rather interesting season. Last year the team had #1 overall pick Caleb Williams and he certainly kept them in most games despite a terrible defense that was allowing points to everyone. This season the team finished just 6-6. The team ended up benching their quarterback, Miller Moss, who started the season under center. Moss is in the transfer portal and won't play in this game anyway. The team turned to Jayden Maiava as their quarterback, and after winning his first two games, he put up a decent fight against Notre Dame in his third contest but ultimately didn't do enough to get them a win. USC does have some nice wins under their belt for the year. They kicked off the season beating LSU on a neutral field - although it was much closer to USC, so felt more like a home game for them. They lost to Michigan in Michigan by just three points, and lost at home to Penn State by three points in overtime. Going 1-3 against ranked teams is never a good look, but they were at least competitive in most of those games. The team also lost to Minnesota and Maryland, both okay teams, but not ones the Trojans should've lost to.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOMBER 24: The Southern California Trojans USC logo at midfield of the football field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

On the opposite side of the ball in tonight's contest is Texas A&M. The Aggies had a better record than USC with a 8-4 mark to end the year, but this is not the Bowl game they were hoping to be a part of. They dealt with injuries and other concerns all year, but the most interesting story was Conner Weigman, their starting quarterback in the season opener. He was injured then returned and was benched. Now he is in the transfer portal looking for a new team to play with. Marcel Reed was the leading passer for the Aggies in eight of their games this season. For the year, Texas A&M lost against Notre Dame to star the season, then ran off seven straight victories. The end of the year is where they started to stumble as they got blown out against South Carolina, lost a close one to Auburn in quadruple overtime, and then fell to Texas in a reasonable 17-7 loss on their home field. 

USC is going to miss quite a few of their players with their running back Woody Marks and center Jonah Monheim not playing. Their best cornerback, Jaylin Smith, will also be out. The program still has talented players, but this will be their first real opportunity after sitting behind their peers most of the season. I don't see the same level of missing pieces for Texas A&M. This will be a much farther trip for them than the Trojans, but I do think the Aggies are still better here. I'll back them -3 over USC. 

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