The undefeated Aggies face a surprisingly weak schedule, raising doubts about their readiness for crucial upcoming games and playoff contention.
It’s safe to say that as we near the end of the regular season, Texas A&M football fans have plenty to be excited about. With two weeks remaining, the Aggies sit undefeated at 9–0, ranked No. 3 in the country, with the SEC title within reach and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff on the table.
Right now, it all seems like sunshine and rainbows for the folks down in College Station—but there is room for concern. You might ask, “Why would that be? They’re 9–0!” Well, it’s simple. Beyond nearly dropping Saturday’s game to South Carolina (which we’ll get to later), a few red flags are starting to surface.
The biggest question mark is their strength of schedule. In the preseason—and even through the early portion of A&M’s campaign—there was plenty of hype surrounding how challenging this year’s slate would be. But looking at it now, that strength of schedule has turned out to be underwhelming. To date, the Aggies have only beaten two ranked opponents: No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 22 Missouri, although Mizzou will likely fall out of the Top 25 again assuming they lose to No. 8 Oklahoma this weekend.
Outside of those matchups, A&M has faced quite literally only the bottom half of the SEC standings, picking up wins against teams with three or fewer conference victories. Some would even call it a cupcake schedule—especially in a league known for its week-in, week-out gauntlet of high-quality opponents.
So why does this matter? Because many would argue that if A&M had faced any of the upper-tier programs in the SEC—Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, and others—their record could look very different.
And with a major rivalry game approaching, plus the SEC Championship and a potential playoff berth, there’s a real concern that the Aggies won’t be truly battle-tested until the moment the pressure is highest.
On Friday, November 29, A&M will face the No. 17 Texas Longhorns on their turf for the final game of the regular season. Austin will be rocking, as this rivalry—renewed only last year—returns to the capital for the first time since 2010. It’s arguably one of the most heated rivalries in college sports, and A&M will walk into a hostile environment against a Longhorns team that will likely still be inside the Top 15.
Winning this game would secure A&M’s first-ever appearance in the SEC Championship Game. A loss, however, would not bode well, and they’d have to regroup quickly before the playoffs. With this being their toughest opponent since facing Notre Dame back in September—and coming off an almost disastrous loss at home to a struggling South Carolina team—the Aggies now head into their bitter rival’s territory with everything on the line.
It’s going to be a tough matchup for the Ags, to say the least—just as it will be a tough matchup for whichever top-tier team they might face in the SEC Championship (should they beat Texas), and for whoever they draw in the playoffs.
It’s also worth noting that this Longhorn team could very well end up unranked by the time the matchup arrives. It’s unlikely, since they face Arkansas this week, but Texas has been unpredictable all season—they can beat anyone, and they can lose to anyone. If they do slip, A&M’s strength of schedule begins to look even more underwhelming.
Now, let’s take a brief look at what we learned from A&M’s performance against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
First, we learned that the Aggies are beatable—even at Kyle Field. We’ve seen flashes of this throughout the season, but this game cemented it. We also learned that A&M tends to be a second-half team. And lastly, if a kick is on the line… Aggies fans might want to start praying.
A&M played an outstanding second half and erased a 28-point deficit in a hurry. But against top-caliber teams—the caliber they’ll soon face—you cannot rely on massive second-half turnarounds. Those windows close quickly against elite opponents.
So that’s why A&M fans should be concerned. But there is a bright side: they have a Heisman-caliber quarterback in Marcel Reed, a well-rounded football team, and an opportunity to make history this season in multiple ways.
But this is college football. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows—and an excruciating loss can come at any moment.