We knew that when FanDuel dropped the Texas A&M -4.5 line yesterday that it probably was going to move down a little bit. And since then, the line has dropped to the Aggies being a 3.5-point favorite, placing it in line with some of the other sportsbooks.
The Hurricanes and Aggies are the freshest of the first-round matchups and will likely be the most competitive game on the slate. With Texas A&M at home, oddsmakers usually value that as a three-point advantage, so this game would be a pick 'em on a neutral site.
Miami and Texas A&M will play at noon on Saturday, December 20 from Kyle Field. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and ABC. It's the only game on the Saturday's CFP tripleheader that ESPN/ABC is taking, with Ole Miss vs. Tulane (3:30 p.m.) and Oregon vs. James Madison (7 p.m.) going to TNT, truTV or HBO Max.
Some fans are not happy with the noon kickoff
Fans are not happy that arguably the most competitive of the first-round CFP games has the early kickoff, robbing us of the atmosphere of major college football playoff game at night.
What TV exec looks at that Saturday slate & decided, ya know yeah let’s go ahead and throw Miami vs Texas A&M at noon….
— Jim Garren (@JimmyGgolf) December 7, 2025
Don’t get me wrong, good for us tho #CollegeFootballPlayoff #GoCanes
Why is Miami/Texas A&M being played at noon?
— College Football Report (@CFBReport) December 7, 2025
That’s the best game of the first round lol
There's a method behind the madness here. ESPN/ABC wanted the two best CFP first-round games and they got them (Oklahoma-Alabama is at night on Friday, December 19). But there's also an NFL doubleheader on FOX at 5 p.m. and 8:20 p.m.
ESPN/ABC is not putting the best CFP game head-to-head with the NFL. That's just stupid and if a top-level TV executive makes that decision, they will soon be looking for a new job. I get that college football is watched by millions, but it's not the TV draw that the NFL is. Not even close.
One of the reasons that college football has enjoyed the major growth it has on TV over the past 40 years is because the entity made the decision to work with the NFL instead of in competition with the NFL. That's why the NFL doesn't put regular-season games on Saturdays until after the Army-Navy week. It's been a relationship that has worked well for both sides.
So be happy that the Hurricanes and Aggies get the spotlight all to themselves Saturday afternoon. Especially when TV ratings are a big part of ACC revenue share.