This year’s Orange Bowl presents a question that we often see in bowl games: which team wants it more? For No. 5 Texas A&M, a team that feels they were snubbed by not receiving an invitation to the College Football Playoff, it could produce one of two results. Either the Aggies come out angry, ready to pour out every feeling into drubbing UNC, or they come out flat, not caring about the Orange Bowl. On the other side, North Carolina has a chance to prove they belong in the upper echelon of college football programs under Mack Brown. Either way, this could be a fun game with a ton of points scored on both sides.
How they got here: Texas A&M
The Aggies enter play as one of the hottest teams in college football, winners of seven straight games. Their lone loss came to Alabama, who very well may be this year’s national champions. Because of this, A&M felt they were robbed of a spot in the semifinals. The Aggies have talent on both sides of the ball and are led by QB Kellen Mond. Mond has thrown for an impressive 19-3 touchdown to interception ratio and can get it done with both his arm and legs. In the backfield, star sophomore Isaiah Spiller totaled 986 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. If there is a knock against the Aggies offense, it’s the lack of a true stud wide receiver. However, TE Jalen Wydermyer remains a steady target for Mond.
Defensively, the Aggies feature the best unit in the SEC in terms of yards per game. While this could be partially due to a weak schedule, there is no denying the talent in both the defensive line and secondary, thriving against the run and pass games. LB Buddy Johnson is a tackling machine in the middle of the field while DL Bobby Brown III is a menace for opposing quarterbacks. It could be a long night for a depleted North Carolina offense.
How they got here: North Carolina
Year two under Mack Brown saw even more success for the Tar Heels. The team finished 8-3, ending the season with a dominant 62-26 win over Miami (FL). QB Sam Howell avoided the sophomore slump, tallying 3,352 passing yards and 27 touchdowns, throwing just six interceptions. UNC led the ACC with 556 yards per game and was second in points with 43. The bad news for the Tar Heels is they will be without both of their star running backs Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, who are preparing for the NFL Draft. Leading WR Dyami Brown is also opting out of the game. These losses will be tough to overcome.
On defense, the Tar Heels are not quite as stout, but they did finish fifth-best in yards allowed. Their bend but don’t break mentality kept them in almost every game this season outside of a two-touchdown loss to Notre Dame. However, the defense will be without leading tackler and LB Chazz Surratt. This could be a huge loss, especially when going against a mobile quarterback.
Gambling picks, predictions
Texas A&M is currently a 7.5 point favorite, with the over/under set at 65.5. Our odds are provided by our friends at BUSR. If you want to get in on the action and place a bet today, head over to Busr.com/studentunionsports.
On paper, the Aggies should win this game going away. They’re a better team and UNC is without four of their five best players. However, games are not played on paper, and bowl season can go off the rails. With all that being said, I still like Texas A&M to win and over. Sam Howell will make enough plays to put up points, but the Aggies are too talented on both sides of the ball. The one factor that could swing this game is the effort level. We will find out early on which team wants to be there more.