Texas A&M Aggies vs. USC Trojans Las Vegas Bowl Preview: Personnel Predictions

The Texas A&M Aggies take a trip to Las Vegas to play dice, but not in a casino.

The Aggies and USC Trojans meet in the 2024 SRS Distributions Las Vegas Bowl, the Trojans’ second visit to the “Entertainment Capital of the World” and opens their season in September with a emphatic victory over the LSU Tigers.

The Aggies and Trojans had pretty similar seasons. Both scored big comeback wins against the LSU Tigers and both also came up just short against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the other end of the season.

Both teams made major quarterback changes midway through the season that impacted the course of the season.

And probably the biggest similarity: a strong start to the season that ultimately led to a rollercoaster ride for the rest of the season.

With Jayden Maiava emerging at quarterback and facing a stout Texas A&M defense despite many stars opting out, this game should help us identify both teams’ biggest concerns heading into 2025.

With that in mind, our staff here at Texas A&M Aggies on SI expects the contest to go down:

Texas A&M has lost a lot of depth to the NCAA transfer portal since the end of the regular season, not to mention its top three defensive linemen in the NFL Draft. However, that also applies to the Trojans, who have been completely devastated by player turnover. I think the Aggies are a better coached and more talented team than the Trojans and should take care of business.

Texas A&M 27, USC 17

These two programs go in different directions. USC had a season to forget in its third year under Lincoln Riley, while Texas A&M was in position to compete for an SEC championship this season. Both teams suffered some big losses in the transfer portal, but given how the Aggies’ season ended, it’s hard not to see them angrily performing in front of the Las Vegas crowd.

Texas A&M 33, USC 13

Mike Elko’s team had a pretty rough patch in November, starting the month 7-1 and finishing the month 8-4. Certainly not what they had in mind, but their midseason winning streak at least got them to a bowl game. If the Aggies can keep Jayden Maiava in the red zone and shut down Woody Marks and the USC running game, the Aggies should have no problem hitting the jackpot in Vegas. Give me the Ags.

Texas A&M 35, USC 24

Both teams want to end the season with a good result after difficult periods, but A&M seems to be less affected by the withdrawals. Yes, losing three key defensive players in Nic Scourton, Shemar Stuart and Shemar Turner is tough, but the Aggies haven’t lost most of their top producers on offense like the Trojans.

Texas A&M 24, USC 17

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