We're inching closer to Texas A&M's season-opening bout with the Auburn Tigers, so let's turn things up a notch. Here are five bold predictions that could leave Aggie fans elated by Saturday evening.
The Aggie run offense finally breaks through vs. a great Auburn front
The missing piece to Texas A&M's offense becoming an elite attack is a consistently reliable ground game. The group has been decidedly average through its first three games, but knowing it can be relied on when things aren't coming as easily through the air will provide this team with much-needed balance.
That's a lot to hope for against this Auburn defensive front — a group that's allowing under two yards per carry this season, and one that just held Oklahoma to 32 yards all day.
But this is all about getting bold so let's not be shy — Texas A&M running backs will average over five yards per carry on the day and run for at least 150 yards, which would be nearly 100 more than the Tigers are allowing on a per-game basis.
Marcel Reed completes over 70 percent of his passes on the day
It's been a really fun start to the season for Marcel Reed, who's averaging almost 300 passing yards a game with nine touchdowns to just one pick. He seems as confident as ever in his own abilities which has led to a hot start for the Aggies, but that doesn't mean there isn't more work to be done.
Reed has completed just 58 percent of his passes this season, and coming off a game against Notre Dame where he had the second-worst mark of his career at just 45.9 percent. The explosive plays and downfield shots are the reason A&M's offense has been so hot, but the next step is effectively being methodical when those deep shots aren't available.
So let's get that next leap started this Saturday: Reed completes over 70 percent of his passes against an Auburn defense that's allowing quarterbacks to complete passes at a 63 percent rate, and we leave Week 5 feeling even better about the Aggie passing game.
Cashius Howell one-ups R Mason Thomas
The Texas A&M pass rush is hoping to repeat the same success that Oklahoma found against Auburn last Saturday — recording 10 sacks on the day and bottling up Jackson Arnold for most of the game. What's even more staggering about that number is that the Sooners were without their star edge rusher R Mason Thomas, as he sat out the first half of the game due to a targeting suspension, but still finished the game with 2.5 sacks, including this one below to seal the victory.
R Mason Thomas speed-to-power 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/PQVbfmu549
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) September 20, 2025
Now I'm not saying that Cashius Howell needs to come out and average three sacks per half, but let's call for a full-game total of three as a fitting encore for the SEC's talented pass rushers — and a very unpleasant encore for Auburn's young quarterback.
The Aggie front seven bottles up Auburn's ground game
While Auburn's offense has run very hot and cold through the first month of the regular season there's been one constant that's kept it afloat — its ground game. The Tigers are running for 198 yards per game and at nearly five yards per carry, while Texas A&M is allowing teams to run for 143 yards per game and at 4.7 yards a carry.
This might be the biggest ask of the weekend, trying to limit a team's best strength in an area that you haven't necessarily thrived at this season, but an overcommitment to stopping this Auburn ground game will really put its offense in an uneasy position and force them to rely on their somewhat unproven aerial attack. Let's put the number at 125: if the Aggie front seven can limit Jeremiah Cobb's impact to a sub-100 yard rushing performance then I think they'll be primed for a big win at Kyle Field.
Texas A&M forces two Jackson Arnold turnovers
What goes hand in hand with limiting Auburn's ground game is placing the weight on Arnold's shoulders — something he's consistently struggled with. The first-year starter for the Tigers is coming off a season at Oklahoma where he fumbled the ball nine times along with three interceptions. However, he's been better at protecting the football in 2025 — without an interception thrown all season — so how about we change that this weekend?
If the Aggies have stuffed the ground game and Arnold is feeling the pressure from the defensive line, let's call for one fumble and one interception on the day — turnovers that could very well swing the outcome of this game.