6.5 points

5 points

16 points

From the article, "Why Football Recruiting Rankings Matter":

College football, a multi-billion-dollar sport for the 130 schools that play at the highest level, is unique in that it must recruit student-athletes, unlike high school or pro football. An entire multimillion-dollar industry has developed to provide recruiting ratings and team-specific information for rabid fans. The question in this study was “Do recruiting rankings matter?”

This study uses the 247Sports class ratings and team composite ratings to predict the future success of teams. The Sagarin ratings are used as a proxy for team success. The results indicate that recruiting success, as measured by the recruiting rankings, explains up to 36 percent of the variability of the Sagarin ratings. That is, 36 percent of a team success is the result of recruiting success and not other factors. (click link below to read full article).

After reading the above article and comparing the Maryland and Kent State starters as recruits (click link below to see the comparison), it should not come as a surprise as to why the Terrapins are a 14.5 point favorite over the Golden Flashes.

The last time Kent State defeated a Power-5 team was in 2007 when the Golden Flashes defeated the Iowa State Cyclones 23-14. In that game future NFL Hall of Famer Julian Edelman threw for 161 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Eugene Jarvis added 113 yards rushing and also scored a touchdown.

14.5 pts.

21 points

In a total contrast in styles, A&M will be deliberate as it slows things down to the pace it likes to play, and the Golden Flashes will go at warp speed to try keeping everyone moving.

But A&M will have its share of quick drives, too.

Kent State will get on the board early, but the Aggies will score, too, and they’ll keep on scoring. The A&M D will settle in midway through the second quarter.

Texas A&M vs Kent State Prediction, Line​

Texas A&M 52, Kent State 20

Texas A&M is favored by approximately four touchdowns over a Kent State team which has lost 14 straight non-conference games against FBS teams. While the Flashes usually struggle in non-conference play, openers have not been Texas A&M’s forté either over the last half decade. In 2017, the Aggies blew a 34-point lead to a UCLA team which finished 6-7. Last season, winless Vanderbilt came within five points of the maroon and white and squandered three opportunities at an upset in the fourth quarter.

The Aggies will have to debut a new quarterback and four offensive linemen, so Texas A&M has more adjusting to do while Kent State trots out a more experienced offense. We haven’t seen what Haynes King can do as a starter yet, but Dustin Crum has already established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the FBS, so Kent State’s offense can inflict some damage as long as No. 7 is under center. However, against unranked opponents, the Aggies only allowed more than 20 points once in seven outings in 2020, so the nation’s reigning scoring champ may run into a buzzsaw in the opener.

Crum and the Kent State offense present plenty of speed and explosiveness, but the Golden Flashes are severely outmatched by Texas A&M in the physicality department. The primary concerns for Kent State are (1) how the offensive line responds to the DeMarvin Leal and the Aggies’ elite defense and (2) preventing Isaiah Spiller from blasting off for 150+ yards.

Kent State presents a valiant effort, but overcoming the No. 6 team at Kyle Field is a tall task.

Prediction: Texas A&M 45, Kent State 27

2021 Week 1 Preview: Kent State Golden Flashes @ Texas A&M Aggies

What can Dustin Crum and Co. achieve against a physical defense in College Station?

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