Orange Bowl 2020: Updated Odds and Preview for Texas A&M vs. North Carolina
The Texas A&M Aggies will not be able to get the ACC off their minds until after the Orange Bowl.
For weeks, the SEC side was compared to the Clemson Tigers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff discussion.
Jimbo Fisher's side was left outside of the top four and aligned with the North Carolina Tar Heels in the January 2 bowl game at Hard Rock Stadium.
At one point in the season, the Tar Heels were a Top Five team, but they suffered some setbacks and were the third-best squad in the ACC.
Quarterbacks Kellen Mond and Sam Howell may be billed as the stars of the contest, but the biggest offensive impact will be made by the running backs on both rosters.
Orange Bowl Info
Date: Saturday, January 2
Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN.com or ESPN app
Odds
Spread: Texas A&M (-5.5)
Over/Under: 69.5
Money Line: Texas A&M (-180; bet $180 to win $100); North Carolina (+145; bet $100 to win $145)
Preview
If you combine Texas A&M and North Carolina's points per game averages, it would eclipse the current over-under by five points.
Those totals and the talented quarterbacks on each roster could lead you to picking the over as your best bet.
But if you dig deeper into the battle at the line of scrimmage, the under seems more likely. Both teams average more than 200 rushing yards per game, but they concede under 150.
Texas A&M likes to methodically move the ball down the field through Mond and running backs Isaiah Spiller and Ainias Smith.
Mond, Spiller and Smith combined for 1,537 of the team's 1,826 rushing yards and 14 of the 16 ground scores.
Even though Texas A&M played nine games, it has just a single receiver with more than 500 receiving yards, tight end Jalen Wydermyer, who has 502 yards off 45 receptions.
If Texas A&M attempts to break open the UNC defense through a long throw, Wydermyer will likely be the player Mond targets.
Mack Brown's team can match Texas A&M's pace and rushing totals through its duo of Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, who both ran for over 1,000 yards.
Carter and Williams are a more dynamic duo than Spiller and Smith, and their big-play potential could open up a lead and force Texas A&M out of its offensive rhythm.
The performance Carter and Williams should learn from most to prepare for the Orange Bowl is UNC's loss to Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish went into Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and held the Tar Heels to 87 rushing yards. If UNC learns from its struggles against a strong rushing defense, it could maneuver through the Texas A&M front seven.
If the ground game does not work, Howell can torture the A&M defense with a few big passing plays. The sophomore had a long throw of over 50 yards in five of his last six games.
With Howell, Carter, Williams and 1,000-yard wide receiver Dyami Brown in tow, the Tar Heels have the potential to spring the upset over the fifth-ranked team.
If UNC keeps the game close, or wins outright, it could enter 2021 with hype around it to be Clemson's top challenger in the ACC if Notre Dame goes back to its independent schedule.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
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