Texas eight and four is no more. Or is it? The Aggies buried a lot of demons last season when they went 11-1 in the regular season and made the CFP. Now is where the fun begins if they want to be an actual elite program – doing it again.
The roster loses a lot of production from a season ago and will start four new offensive lineman. They also lose their offensive coordinator and leader in sacks.
There’s a lot to like about the future of the Aggie program under Mike Elko, but 2026 may be a rebuild, not a reload. Let’s dive in.
Strength of Schedule: 13th in the SEC
This schedule sets up perfectly for another installment of the quintessential Texas A&M experience. They have a really easy set up in the first two months of the season that could easily translate into a great record entering the final month of the season.
They play just two preseason ranked teams in the first eight games of the year, LSU and Alabama. Both of those teams have top ten opponents in the prior weeks before playing the Aggies.
For instance, A&M plays Alabama on the heels of the Tide playing Georgia and Tennessee. The Aggies get Missouri and the Citadel. November could bring them down to earth, though, with four games against South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Oklahoma.
It’s the sixth hardest schedule in the SEC as we illustrated in our previous article on the toughest schedules in the SEC.
Most Important Game of the Year: Alabama
The first two months of the season set up incredibly well for A&M. They get LSU on the heels of the Tigers’ trip to Ole Miss. They get Alabama on the heels of the Tide playing Georgia and Tennessee. The Aggies’ season won’t be ruined with a loss to either team. It will be a massive uphill battle entering their November slate, though, if they aren’t sitting at one loss.
Between the Alabama and LSU game, the trip to Tuscaloosa is the one that looks easier as of today. Alabama has a ton of talent to replace in the trenches and will be starting a new quarterback after losing Ty Simpson to the first round of the NFL Draft.
It will also be game three of their toughest stretch of the season and right before the bye week. I think A&M’s losses in the trenches are a big disadvantage for them in several matchups this year. This is not one of them.
Biggest Trap Game: Tennessee
The grand finale for this season features a back-to-back against Oklahoma and Texas, with the game against the Sooners being on the road. Most around College Station think they’ll still be in playoff contention in late November. They may very well be given that there’s not really a stretch in their first games that poses any significant threat in consecutive weeks. There are big games at LSU and Alabama but nothing beforehand that’s worrisome.
The Tennessee game is very interesting, though. The Aggies will be returning home from a big game against South Carolina and potentially looking ahead to the Sooners and Longhorns. If that happens, they can be in big trouble against a Josh Heupel offense that can give people fits.
Heupel teams haven’t been great away from home in the regular season, going just 16-13 away from Neyland. But, this is not a great matchup for the Aggies for a number of reasons, especially facing the best offensive line in the league without an elite edge rusher like they had a season ago with Cashius Howell.
Upset Alert: South Carolina
It’s funny to me that most people have this as an automatic win for Texas A&M. Historically, they’ve owned this series, and I fully understand the uphill battle the Gamecocks will face mentally after last year’s catastrophic blown 30-3 lead in College Station. But, the matchup itself favors South Carolina in a lot of ways.
The strength of the Aggies a season ago was the offensive line, and now they have to figure out how to replace four of five starters. That’s not a great feeling when you’re going up against the league’s best pass rusher and maybe a top three defensive line in the SEC.
Texas A&M has owned the series, but they needed a miracle to win a season ago, and the last time they came to Williams-Brice Stadium they were a top ten team and lost 44-20.
Toughest Stretch: November
It’s arguably the worst stretch for any team in the entire season. Luckily, they get a bye week before it begins, which is why I think they’ll beat South Carolina, but after that strap in.
Home game against Tennessee, and back-to-back games against their old Big 12 and Southwest Conference foes. Facing two potential playoff teams with your playoff hopes on the line is a nightmare scenario for a program that has crumbled like Ikea furniture in the month of November.
Ceiling and Floor: 10-2 and 6-6
I am a big believer in Mike Elko. He currently has the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for 2027, and is one of six head coaches working with a returning starter at quarterback. Better yet, he’s one of just two that has a three year starter at QB in this league (South Carolina).
Few teams lose 177 combined career starts on the offensive line, a first round pick at wide receiver, the second leading sack getter in the conference and an offensive coordinator and just pick up where they left off. Other teams in this league got better. It’s hard for me to imagine that a team that won the most games in program history during the regular season did the same despite everything they lost.
Schedule Prediction: 8-4
Missouri State – W
Arizona State – W
Kentucky – W
At LSU – L
Arkansas – W
At Missouri – W
The Citadel – W
At Alabama – W
At South Carolina – W
Tennessee – L
At Oklahoma – L
Texas – L
