With a 9-0 record for the first time since 1992 and the only team to win three road games against ranked opponents, Texas A&M is potentially on a collision course with an undefeated season and a College Football Playoff berth.
The Aggies have been at their best in SEC play as they have won 4 of their 6 games by 17 points or more and just beat Arkansas, LSU and Missouri in consecutive road games to rise up the conference standings. As a result, A&M is 6-0 during conference play for the first time since 1998 when it was part of the Big 12 and winning the program’s last conference title.
With the bulk of their schedule behind them, here is a breakdown of the Aggies’ 3 remaining opponents. A&M will not leave the Lone Star State the rest of the 2025 regular season as its remaining schedule is considered “favorable” by many:
1. South Carolina
The Aggies have won 9 of 11 meetings against South Carolina all-time, but the Gamecocks have won 2 of the last 3 meetings between the programs. Last season, despite coming into Columbia on a nice 7-game winning streak, A&M laid an egg in the second half and was outscored 24-0 while losing 44-20 to record the worst loss of the Mike Elko era.
Fast forward to this season and A&M will be a heavy favorite, as South Carolina comes into the matchup at College Station this weekend with the worst offense in the SEC. The Gamecocks are the only team in the conference who are not averaging over 300 total yards a game. The Gamecocks head into their matchup with the Aggies losers of 4 consecutive SEC games in a row and have scored only 20+ points once during their tough stretch.
A&M must contain South Carolina’s talented sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers if it wants to get its revenge on the Gamecocks. Sellers is the key to the engine of South Carolina’s offense; his big-play ability is a threat to any South Carolina opponent.
In their matchup last fall, Sellers racked up 350 total yards while producing 3 total touchdowns to register the best statistical game to this point of his young career. The Aggies’ defense, which has been pretty consistent most of the year, should be up for the challenge, as it is the best third-down defense in the SEC led by SEC sack leader Cashius Howell.
2. Samford
In what is nothing but a glorified scrimmage, AKA a payday game for Samford, A&M will be a heavy 3-touchdown plus favorite in its tune up game for its showdown with Texas.
This season Samford has allowed 26 or more points in every game but one and has scored 22 points or less in every game but one to rack up a dismal 1-9 record. A&M must simply stay sharp; get backups some burn and stay healthy to win this one as Samford has no realistic chance of beating the Aggies in College Station.
3. Texas
Depending on what happens in Athens this weekend, the Lone Star Showdown could have extremely huge ramifications. Texas could be fighting for a College Football Playoff berth, while the Aggies should be playing for a perfect regular season and SEC title berth. If A&M is able to finish the regular season undefeated, it will be the first time the program has accomplished the feat since 1992 when it ran the table in the now defunct Southwest Conference before losing to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, 28-3.
If A&M is going to beat Texas, it must keep Arch Manning under fire all day long, stop the Longhorns’ run game to make them 1-dimensional and be efficient on offense, as playing behind the sticks is a recipe for disaster against Texas’s talented defense. Also, Heisman Trophy candidate Marcel Reed must play at high level and have a big game if he wants to have any realistic chance of winning the Heisman this season. Playing against Texas gives him a big stage to showcase his talents.
Beyond bragging rights, finishing an undefeated regular season will give Elko and A&M a huge boost on the recruiting trail, as many kids from Texas grow up dreaming of playing in this rivalry game.
In the big picture, A&M is all but officially in the College Football Playoff and a loss to its bitter in-state rival is not the end of the world, but a win will put an exclamation point on a dream season while making its future even brighter.
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.
