If you're looking for a team flying just under the radar in the SEC this season, it might be time to give Texas A&M a serious look.
No, the Aggies aren’t topping preseason College Football Playoff projections or being hyped alongside Georgia and Texas, but that might actually be the best thing going for them.
Let’s start with the obvious — expectations. Or more accurately, the lack thereof. After years of “this is our year” energy under Jimbo Fisher that fizzled out by midseason, the vibes are much different in the Mike Elko era, and they should be.
The Pieces Are Already in Place for Texas A&M
One of the most promising things about this Texas A&M team is just how much experience is coming back. The Aggies are ranked No. 6 in returning production across college football, which means Elko isn’t starting from scratch. Marcel Reed returns at quarterback after getting thrown into the fire last season. And while he was inconsistent at times, you could see flashes — especially against LSU — of what he could become with a full offseason as the starter.
Behind Reed, the offensive line is returning all five starters. That kind of continuity is rare in the SEC and can make a huge difference.
Every SEC schedule is tough, but the Aggies' slate isn’t some unbeatable gauntlet. The biggest tests — at LSU, at Texas, and at Notre Dame — are clearly uphill battles. But get one win out of those three, and suddenly you’ve got everyone’s attention.
The rest of the schedule? Very winnable. Home games against South Carolina and Florida all fall into the 50/50 category.
They've also got Missouri, Mississippi State, and Arkansas, which should all be wins. If they can somehow find a way to go 3-2 in that stretch of six — against LSU, Texas, Notre Dame, South Carolina, and Florida — there's no reason to think that the Aggies couldn't be potentially 10-2 or even a 9-3 team vying for one of those last at-large berths.
Mike Elko in Year 2 Could Be the Difference
Texas A&M has never lacked talent. What’s been missing is structure, especially on defense. That’s where Mike Elko comes in. He’s one of the sharpest defensive minds in the country, and he’s had a full offseason to fix what went wrong late last year. Sure, the Aggies lost some pieces, and yes, zone coverage was apparently a foreign concept at one point, but progress is coming.
A good defense plus a competent offense — that’s a recipe that can keep you in almost every game. If the offense even slightly overachieves, Texas A&M might find itself in the SEC title conversation late in the year.
The beauty of Texas A&M being a dark horse is that no one’s really circling them as a legit SEC contender. The expectations are low, at least on a national level.
But, when you consider what they have coming back combined with their recruiting in the portal, there's no reason to believe that they can't compete in the SEC and be one of those legitimate dark horse contenders.