3 Best College Football Bets and Player Props for Texas A&M at Notre Dame

Two ranked squads desperate to showcase improvement and regain momentum toward a potential College Football Playoff at-large bid. What more could ask for from a primetime clash?

That's the case for both the undefeated Texas A&M Aggies and winless Notre Dame Fighting Irish -- though level of competition played a huge role in both. TAMU squeezed by the UTSA Roadrunners and Utah State Aggies at home, and Notre Dame took a huge risk to draw the improved Miami (FL) Hurricanes in Coral Gables.

At 7:30 P.M. EST on Saturday from South Bend, the Aggies and Irish will finish a home-and-home series that Notre Dame started with a 23-13 win last year. Who will win -- or cover -- in the rematch?

All college football betting odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Texas A&M at Notre Dame Betting Picks

Texas A&M +6.5 (-110)

These two teams are vastly different than last year's versions, and we've gotten very few answers so far.

Notre Dame ran for just 93 yards in the opener, which is a point of grave concern. Freshman QB C.J. Carr was frankly impressive to keep them in it, but Carr's 60.6 QBR against a Miami team that was 42nd in yards per play (5.2 YPP) allowed last year was not a definitive statement.

At the same time, the Aggies missed 19 tackles in Week 1 and gave up 170 rushing yards to UTSA, so is this a spot where the Irish can find more room on the ground? I'm not sure. We saw immediate improvement with Utah State generating just 78 rushing yards. Buying into a sloppy Week 1 in lieu of a Texas A&M rush defense that allowed just 3.9 yards per attempt (YPA) last year under Jay Bateman as defensive coordinator could be foolish.

Plus, the Aggies' offense revolves around dual-threat QB Marcel Reed, who had a 75.4 QBR a year ago as the more known quantity.

Considering 10 points separated these teams at Kyle Field a year ago, the Aggies have retained more of their core than the national runner-ups. I'm inclined to take the points when it's entirely plausible we look back at Mike Elko's group as the superior team this season.

Marcel Reed Over 236.5 Passing and Rushing Yards (-114)

This one won't be a shocker to those who caught my Week 3 college football prop best bets.

Is this projected drop in Reed's production fair? I'd say not. The quarterback will certainly lose efficiency compared the pair of cupcakes, but more should also be on his plate in a game where the Aggies -- at worst -- are expected to be in tight competition.

Plus, Notre Dame allowed just 119 yards (or 3.1 rushing YPA) on the ground to Miami, seeming to still have the top-35 rush defense they had on a YPA basis a year ago. Frankly, that wasn't horrible news for the Canes as Carson Beck averaged 6.6 YPA. Remember, three Irish secondary members are now in the NFL.

Texas A&M also added a top-shelf wideout, KC Concepcion from the North Carolina State Wolfpack, in the transfer portal this summer. Concepcion is off to a hot start with 145 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns despite just an 18.1% target share in blowouts.

Reed has totaled 307.0 passing plus rushing yards per game in his first two weeks. I've got the sophomore projected 248.7 passing yards and 44.9 rushing yards against the Irish, and that's not even a particularly mammoth night.

Jeremiyah Love Under 76.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

Man, this is a lofty number after Jeremiyah Love handled just 10 carries for 33 yards in the opener.

Love is arguably the top running back prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft class, but there are factors working against his weekly production in college. The first is his workload, where 40.0% of the Irish's total carries in Week 1 was an overperformance of his total rush share from 2024 (38.6%). That's a factor that oddsmakers are clearly considering with Jadarian Price's rushing line at just 42.5. Price handled just 18.1% of the totes against Miami.

However, the inefficiency isn't a lock to go away against Texas A&M, either. Miami stacked the box and made Carr attempt to beat them, and while our expectations were low, he still took 3 sacks with a costly interception, and he averaged 5.4 YPA if you throw out a total busted coverage late in the contest.

With these concerns in tow, I've got Love projected for just 17.0 carries and 60.2 yards on Saturday. Until my projections see Love's efficiency trend upward, they're probably going to like this side on one of the game's most popular overs.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.