College football odds, Week 5: How to bet every Top 25 game against the spread

No. 13 Texas A&M vs. No. 2 Alabama (-17.5)

For the first time this season, there’s a matchup worth its own page in the picks. Alabama and Texas A&M are playing for very different things to start the season.

Texas A&M is on the final leg of the first chapter of the Jimbo Fisher era. Kellen Mond is in his final year for the Aggies, and Texas A&M is trying to end a seven-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide. Mond struggled last week against Vanderbilt, but that could have been a combination of working out the early season kinks and looking ahead to this week’s matchup. Texas A&M is playing for respect right now, and one win could change how everyone looks at this team moving forward.

Meanwhile, Alabama is looking to roll (no pun intended) through the SEC on its way to redemption. They missed the College Football Playoff entirely after Tua Tagovailoa got hurt. Mac Jones looked good last week against Missouri. He went 18 of 24 for 249 yards and two touchdowns. It was a methodical performance.

This matchup could be decided in the first quarter. How each team starts might be enough to lay the groundwork for the rest of the game. Alabama had a two-touchdown lead last week in the first quarter. The Aggies struggled mightily to start and finish. If Texas A&M can get their offense going off the top, it will mean a lot more than if Alabama does the same. It’s expected that the Crimson Tide are going to score, but if the Aggies can break through against this defense, it will breed confidence.

This one comes down to confidence. Can Fisher get his team up for a game unlike he has in his first two seasons? Will Jones throw all over the Aggies defense as he did against a weaker Missouri team? This one feels closer than three scores. In fact, it’s worth really considering the +500 moneyline placed on Texas A&M. They can absolutely win this game outright.

Pick: Texas A&M (+17.5)