Texas A&M football: Realistic expectations for Aggies in 2023

Jimbo Fisher’s 2022 season with Texas A&M football was an absolute nightmare. The Aggies had just landed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, yet they finished just 5-7 on the year.

A Texas A&M team that many expected to compete for an SEC title and a playoff berth missed out on a bowl game completely. It was the worst-case scenario for the Aggies.

Now that the nightmare is only a memory, the Aggies can start to look ahead to the 2023 season. They bring back some key pieces on both sides of the ball and Conner Weigman is expected to be the starting quarterback which is a breath of fresh air after a disastrous quarterback-by-committee in 2022.

So what are the realistic expectations for the Aggies in 2023?

Realistic expectations for Texas A&M football in 2023

Weigman will give Texas A&M the best chance to win this season at quarterback and I think he’ll be a difference-maker for the Aggies. He could be one of the SEC’s best quarterbacks.

He’ll also have plenty of weapons around him even with Devon Achane moving on.

Looking at the schedule, though, it will be tough for the Aggies to reach that goal of 10-plus wins that fans expect each season.

I see the Aggies starting the season 4-0 before facing a ranked Arkansas team at AT&T Stadium for that annual rivalry game. Let’s say they lose that and drop to 4-1, they have two more games in which I think they lose right after against Alabama and at Tennessee.

At 4-3, they’ll host South Carolina and beat the Gamecocks to move to 5-3. They’ll lose at Ole Miss before beating Mississippi State and Abilene Christian. At 7-4, they could earn an even better bowl bid with a win at LSU but I think they’ll drop that and finish 7-5.

Realistically, I expect 7-5, but I could see them stealing one against Arkansas, at Tennessee, or at Ole Miss. I think the best-case scenario would be 9-3 but realistic scenario is 7-5.