Texas A&M’s 2025 season didn’t end with a bang - more like a fizzle. A 10-3 loss to Miami in the first round of the College Football Playoff wasn’t the kind of postseason debut Aggie fans had hoped for.
But for those who followed this team closely, it wasn’t exactly a shock either. The warning signs were there: late-season struggles that didn’t get cleaned up even with three weeks of prep time.
And when the lights came on in the CFP, those issues came back to bite.
Still, let’s not lose sight of the big picture. Mike Elko, in just his second year at the helm, guided Texas A&M to an 11-0 start - something the program hadn’t done since 1992.
That alone is a massive step forward. More importantly, the Aggies finally broke through some long-standing barriers.
Road wins at Notre Dame and LSU weren’t just résumé builders - they were statement victories that helped the program punch its ticket to the Playoff for the first time since the CFP format began.
Of course, as with any breakout season, the scrutiny came quickly. Critics have pointed out that several of A&M’s wins came against programs in turmoil - Auburn, Florida, and LSU all made midseason coaching changes.
That’s not nothing. And while the Aggies beat who was on their schedule, the offense sputtered badly down the stretch.
Marcel Reed, the redshirt sophomore quarterback, couldn’t get the unit over the 17-point mark in the regular-season finale against Texas, and the group didn’t find the end zone once in the Playoff loss to Miami.
After the game, Elko didn’t sugarcoat it. He pointed to the battles up front - both offensively and defensively - as a major shortcoming.
The run defense, in particular, was exposed. That’s an area he’s already targeted for improvement this offseason, with personnel upgrades expected to follow.
Even with the sour ending, 2025 was Texas A&M’s most successful campaign since Johnny Manziel took the college football world by storm in 2012. The program took a step forward, no question. But not everyone is convinced the Aggies belong at the top of the SEC mountain.
This week, former LSU star and Super Bowl champion Tyrann Mathieu stirred the pot with some pointed comments on his podcast, In the Bayou with Tyrann Mathieu. The former All-Pro safety - who made his name with the Tigers before being dismissed in 2012 - questioned whether Texas A&M truly belongs in the SEC, despite being part of the conference for over a decade.
Mathieu’s remarks echo a growing narrative among rival fan bases and media voices, some of whom now view the Aggies’ 2025 campaign as smoke and mirrors. Chris Phillips, host of SEC Unfiltered, admitted he was fooled early in the season, thinking Texas A&M was a legitimate national title contender. That sentiment - that the Aggies were more illusion than elite - has gained traction in some corners of the SEC landscape.
But here’s the thing: opinions don’t win games. Mike Elko’s team earned its way into the Playoff.
Whether they were ready for that stage or not is another story, but the foundation is being laid. The Aggies may not have silenced all their critics, but they’ve made it clear they’re not standing still.
Texas A&M didn’t finish 2025 the way they wanted. But for a program that’s spent years trying to break into the sport’s upper tier, this season was a step in the right direction - even if the final chapter left more questions than answers.