The 11th ranked (AP) LSU Bengal Tigers of the SEC and BIG 12 South tri-champs, No. 18 Texas A&M Aggies will vie for a win in the 2011 AT&T Cotton Bowl at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas Thursday night (8 pm ET, Fox). Texas A&M finished the regular season tied with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State atop the BIG 12 South standings, but the highest ranked team, that being Oklahoma, represented the division in the league's championship game. The Aggies were subsequently selected to play in the Cotton Bowl, a bid that usually goes to the leagues second place team. LSU was positioned to get into the Sugar Bowl, but took the Cotton as a consolation after losing to Arkansas on Nov. 27 in their final regular season game. Be sure and get the most up to the minute College Football Point Spreads for tonight's AT&T Cotton Bowl where the Tigers and Aggies collide.
The betting line is mixed across the offshore betting board with some sports sites favoring LSU by -3 with a few lining the Tigers favorites by -2 1/2. Depending on the sportsbook, the betting (OVER/UNDER total is 49 to 49 1/2 points.
Early betting trends show the public chosing to back LSU as 67% of spreads wagering fell on the Tigers while 76% of gamblers are choosing the Aggies on the moneyline to win SU. A slight 57% majority of Cotton Bowl bettors look for the UNDER to cash on the posted 49 1/2 total.
While going 9-3 SU overall, the Aggies were profitable for backers by covering the betting spreads in 7-of-11 games while the betting total split 4-4 on the OVER/UNDER. Texas A&M was best at home winning 6-of-7 games at home at Kyle Field in College Station while going 4-2 away.
LSU tied with Arkansas with the second best record in the SEC at 10-2, but ended up in the Cotton Bowl after losing to the Hogs in their final game. The Tigers were very good at home going 7-0. Both LSU's losses came on the road, where the team went 3-2 ATS. The OVER was the best bet on the total, surpassing the posted total in 6-of-9 lined games.
As a favorite, LSU covered in 2-of-5 games at home and covered 1-0 at home as an underdog. On the road LSU went 3-0 as a favorite while going 1-2 as an underdog. The Aggies went 2-3 at home as a favorite and covered 1-0 as an underdog. On the road the Aggies went 2-0.
Cotton Bowl Predictions: I expect LSU to win tonight's game both ATS and SU. The Aggies will have a difficult time scoring on the Tigers great defense. I think the SEC is a better league and will probably be the best team Texas A&M has seen since Arkansas. BEST BET – LSU – 3 .
