Auburn vs. Texas A&M: Prediction, Team, Odds, stream live, watch online

This Saturday’s CBS Game of the Week features two teams vying for the SEC West crown. No. 13 Auburn will travel to No. 14 Texas A&M to face the nation’s highest-ranked two-loss teams in a showdown on Saturday. The Aggies haven’t faced a test like this since they stunned No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 9, when they defeated the Tide. For Auburn, this will be the third time in a row that they face an SEC opponent ranked in the top 20.

College Football Playoff rankings have the Tigers (6-2, 3-1 SEC) ahead of the Aggies (6-2, 3-2), but the Aggies are coming off a bye and playing at home. A 31-20 home win over No. 16 Ole Miss marks Auburn’s best win under new coach Bryan Harsin to this point.

Last season, Texas A&M ended Auburn’s three-game winning streak with a 31-20 victory thanks to a team total of 313 rushing yards, led by Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane, respectively. Both running backs have returned and are among the best in the Southeastern Conference. Ole Miss’ running game was stifled by the Tigers last week, so they shouldn’t be too concerned about Aggies quarterback Zach Calzada’s ability to get through the air in what appears to be a fairly even matchup.

Auburn

As of now, Auburn and Texas A&M are both in the running for SEC West championships, but Auburn has room for error in the latter. This means the Tigers could lose any one of their next three games before facing Alabama in the Iron Bowl on November 27 and still qualify for the SEC championship game if they beat Alabama. A second conference loss for Alabama and an outright conference title for Texas A&M are both necessary for the Aggies. In other words, even if Auburn loses Saturday, the Tigers still have a shot at the championship game, but Texas A&M will need a win to remain in contention.

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Auburn has a significant advantage

The Aggies had an advantage in quarterback play when they beat Auburn last season, when Kellen Mond threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. It wasn’t a terrible performance from Auburn quarterback Bo Nix, but he wasn’t exceptional either, completing 15 of 23 passes for 144 yards. Nix scored two touchdowns on the ground, but the Tigers were out-gained 509-340 in total yards as the Aggies finished with 29 first downs to 16 for the Tigers in the game. If Nix continues to play like he has recently, Auburn may have the advantage at quarterback this time around. It’s been a great season for the former five-star prospect as a junior, who has completed 76% of his passes in the last two games. However, Calzada has only been able to complete 51 percent of his passes against Missouri and South Carolina since that breakout performance against Alabama.

Texas A&M’s advantage in rushing

Against Missouri and South Carolina, Texas A&M’s run defence was strong, allowing each team less than 100 yards rushing. In those two games, the Aggies rushed for 283 and 290 yards, respectively. The outcome of the game could hinge on how well the running game performs against Auburn. After running 46 times for 207 yards against Ole Miss, Auburn held the Rebels to just four yards per carry. But it will be difficult to replicate that performance against the Aggies, as evidenced by Spiller and Achane’s prolific outing in last year’s meeting. While Nix is improving as a passer, the success of Auburn’s offence depends on Tank Bigsby’s production on the ground.

How to watch Auburn vs. Texas A&M live

Date: Saturday, Nov. 6 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Location: Kyle Field — College Station, Texas

TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)