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Texas A&M Football: 2017 season preview, predictions

By Matthew Bartlett

COLLEGE STATION, TX - SEPTEMBER 12: Texas A&M Aggies players wait behind their helmets on the field before the start of their game against the Ball State Cardinals at Kyle Field on September 12, 2015 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
COLLEGE STATION, TX - SEPTEMBER 12: Texas A&M Aggies players wait behind their helmets on the field before the start of their game against the Ball State Cardinals at Kyle Field on September 12, 2015 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /
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Texas A&M football hasn’t been able to break through since joining the SEC in 2012. Could this year be the year that Kevin Sumlin vies for a conference title?

The Aggies celebrated their fifth anniversary as members of the SEC on July 1. Since joining the conference the Aggies have taken down a No. 1 Alabama team in Tuscaloosa and redefined what offense looks like in a conference that used to be all ground and pound. In doing all that they’ve yet to find a way to win in November.

The 2017 Texas A&M football team will be judged almost entirely on what happens in the last four weeks of the season. Fair or not, Kevin Sumlin has to beat LSU this year. The Aggies are 0-5 against the Tigers since joining the SEC despite several close games that were winnable for the maroon and white. Last season ended like the previous two before it: losses.

Unfortunately for the Aggies, the conference hasn’t gotten any easier. Alabama, Auburn and Florida have all been featured in just about every preaseason poll. Texas A&M plays all three of them this year. ESPN ranks Texas A&M’s schedule as the 16th toughest in the nation. That’s a tough slate, but it also presents plenty of opportunities. After they lost to Alabama last year the Aggies debuted at No. 4 in the inaugural College Football Playoff rankings. A loss here or there won’t doom the Aggies, but several could spell the end for Sumlin.

Their expectations won’t be quite as high as last season, but they’ll still be a threat to upset the balance of power in the SEC. Which players are poised for a breakout season and what games should you circle on your calendar?