ChompTalk.com

The Florida Gators are riding the high of beating FCS Samford behind a lethal passing attack. On Saturday, they will look to keep things rolling in their SEC opener against Texas A&M.

Both teams enter the contest 1-1, both coming off dominant cupcake victories against inferior competition. Both teams dropped their highly anticipated openers as well.

Overall, this game seems fairly even across the board.

That said, these are our staff’s predictions on the outcome of Saturday’s Florida – Texas A&M game.

Brian Fox: As of Friday evening, Texas A&M is a four point favorite per ESPNBet. Furthermore, ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Aggies a 59.2% chance of leaving Gainesville victorious. In their season opening loss to Notre Dame, sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman completed just 12-30 passes for 100 yards. He also turned the ball over twice via interceptions. If the Florida front seven can create pressure, they should be able to force Weigman into errant throws, which is the biggest key heading into the game. Gators, 27-21.

Ryan Friedwald: This will be a make or break game for the rest of the season. After a dominant performance last Saturday, the Gators have an opportunity to shut down the, “It’s only Samford,” allegations. The Aggies have lost the last 10 road games they’ve played with their last road win being at Missouri on Oct. 21, 2021 (35-14) . The biggest and most obvious question mark is the Florida QB situation, but I feel that either QB can take the Gators to victory this weekend. There are absolutely zero excuses this week and a lot will be said about the organization based on the product we see on Saturday. This will be a really close game, but Florida’s momentum and home-field advantage will give them the edge this weekend. Florida 24, Texas A&M, 17.

Aiden Wacksman: DJ Lagway created magic on the field last Saturday. The most pressing question heading into this weekend is how much Lagway will see the field. Billy Napier’s decision to halt the release of depth charts will leave fans on the edge of their seats until kickoff, but the quarterback situation will certainly be different compared to that of week one. While Florida’s offense may be able to create some sparks, the defense remains a huge area of concern. I am especially concerned about how the secondary will fare against the Aggies’ twitchy receivers. Regardless, I believe Texas A&M quarterback Connor Weigman won’t be able to step up to the plate, especially considering his poor performance in the season opener against Notre Dame (which, quick reminder, lost to NIU at home last weekend). Florida 27, Texas A&M 23.

Florida and Texas A&M are set to kickoff at 3:30 PM Saturday. The game will be aired live on ABC and streamed via the watch ESPN app.