Texas A&M Football: The 3 most dangerous games remaining on the Aggies’ schedule
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Despite struggling on defense all night long, Texas A&M was able to convert a clutch fourth down with 13 seconds left to upset Notre Dame 41-40 last week in South Bend.
The win ended A&M’s 13-game road losing streak against ranked opponents, was its first win over Notre Dame since 2001 and, more importantly, improved the Aggies to 3-0 and to the No. 10 spot in the AP rankings. With very winnable back-to-back home games coming up against Mississippi State and Florida, the Aggies have the foundation and potential to have their best season since joining the SEC.
Here’s a list of the 3 most dangerous games left on Texas A&M’s schedule, as the Aggies must find a way to win in Baton Rouge and Austin, where they haven’t won since 1994 and 2010, respectively if they want to play in their first ever College Football Playoff.
1. Must Deal With Death Valley Demons
With in-state rival Texas a huge question mark, A&M’s biggest game left on the schedule might be a road game against LSU, who currently is ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll. Despite beating LSU last year 38-23 in College Station, odds are A&M will head into the game as major underdogs due to its horrendous play at Tiger Stadium in recent seasons.
Since joining the SEC in 2013, the Aggies have never beaten the Tigers in “Death Valley” and have been outscored by an average of 19.6 points per game in 6 visits to Baton Rouge. If the Aggies want a legit chance at a College Football Playoff berth and proof they are officially back on the national scene they must conquer their Tiger Stadium demons and beat a talented LSU team.
Despite making the throw of the game in the big win over Notre Dame, quarterback Marcel Reed must play better and be more consistent in big road games going forward if Texas A&M plans on repeating the feat. On Oct. 25 he will have his biggest opportunity to prove he’s legitimately the guy to return to A&M the promised land, because a win over LSU would springboard A&M up the polls while quite possibly solidifying Reed as a Heisman candidate.
2. The Lone Star Showdown Is A Must Win
After renewing its rivalry with Texas after a 13-year hiatus last season, A&M produced one of its most disappointing games of the 2024 season while losing to its bitter rival 17-7 in College Station last November. This season, redemption is a must for the Aggies.
No matter what craziness might be going on in Austin come November, the Aggies must find a way to beat the Longhorns on the road just like they did Notre Dame if they want a realistic chance to play in the SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff. Even if Texas is struggling at that time, a win over a rival like the Longhorns should solidify one of A&M’s best seasons since joining the SEC, put on stamp on the Aggies as the best football team in Texas and give them a direct shot to win the school’s first national title since 1939.
With “The Lone Star Showdown” being the last regular season game of the season and with A&M off to a perfect start with a relatively soft schedule ahead of it, this could be the program-defining win the Aggies have desperately been searching for. A road win over Texas would prove A&M is a program to be reckoned with now and going forward while giving concrete proof Mike Elko is right man for Aggie Land after a rough finish following a promising start in 2024.
3. Beware Of The Gamecocks
Although South Carolina is one of the few SEC teams A&M has owned since joining the conference, the Aggies need to be on upset alert when the Gamecocks come to College Station in November.
Currently the Aggies have a 9-2 series advantage over the Gamecocks since 2014 and have won every matchup at Kyle Field. Despite history being on their side, they must be prepared for the challenges South Carolina will give them this season, as their aggressive defense led by All-American Dylan Stewart and the dynamic quarterback play of sophomore sensation LaNorris Sellers will be a problem.
A&M must find a way to beat a quality at home when it’s expected, which is something it has struggled with mightily since Johnny Manziel and Mike Evans left in 2013.
Kendrick E. Johnson writes for various national outlets such as High School on SI, Yardbarker, ESPN Andscape and MMA Weekly. He is an independent print journalist, sports television reporter and multimedia journalist who has covered the NBA Finals, NFL, NCAA football, MLB, NHL, WWE and over 75 world championship boxing and UFC Fights nationally. Johnson has also covered every prep sport possible in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and all across the great state of Texas. He’s done numerous 1-on-1 interviews with some of the biggest names and personalities in sports from Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry and Shaq on the basketball side to Jon Jones, Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford on the combat sports side and John Cena, Jey and Jimmy Uso and Charlotte Flair in WWE.
