Texas A&M’s loss at Alabama did more than drop the Aggies to 31-20 in Tuscaloosa. It pushed them deeper into the middle of the SEC pack in ESPN’s latest Football Power Index, where they now sit at No. 22 with a rating of 13.4.
That ranking makes Texas A&M the ninth-highest team in the conference, behind Oklahoma at No. 19, Florida at No.
17, Tennessee at No. 12, Ole Miss at No.
9, Texas at No. 8, LSU at No.
7, Alabama at No. 5, and Georgia at No. 4.
Kentucky, meanwhile, moved to the top of the SEC standings after beating Vanderbilt, while Texas kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive with a 34-27 win over Ole Miss.
The numbers reflect a rough weekend for the Aggies, who took a 20-17 lead early in the fourth quarter before a fumble on fourth down opened the door for Alabama’s back-to-back touchdowns. Texas A&M’s offense, which got its highest first-half scoring output in SEC play thanks to Holmon Wiggins’ opening plan, couldn’t answer after the Crimson Tide struck first in the second half.
The setback only added to the scrutiny around third-year coach Mike Elko’s decision to elevate Wiggins and Lyle Hemphill into coordinator roles despite little to no play-calling experience. And with starting quarterback Marcel Reed keeping his job, a staff shakeup still seems unlikely over the bye week.
What comes next does not look any easier. Texas A&M returns from the break with South Carolina on the road, Tennessee at home, Oklahoma in Norman, and Texas at home, and the Aggies are not expected to be favored in any of those games. Unless they spring an upset or two, they appear headed toward a 4-8 finish.
If there is still a path to bowl eligibility, it runs through change over the next two weeks. But for now, ESPN’s FPI paints a bleak picture: a projected 5.6-6.4 record, a 2.8% chance to win out, and 0% odds to win the SEC or reach the College Football Playoff.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Just Got A Big Sign About Its 2027 Class
Even with the current season not going the way Texas A&M hoped, the Aggies picked up a meaningful boost for the future with the commitment of four-star safety JayQuan Snell. One of the top prospects in Texas, Snell made clear that his decision was tied more to the people around the program than to what is happening on the field right now, a reminder that recruiting often runs on a longer timeline than the standings.
Snells pledge helps keep Texas A&Ms 2027 class in a strong position despite some recent decommitments, and it gives the Aggies another key piece to build around on the back end. If things hold, the staff could be looking at a future safety pairing of Snell and five-star Kamarui Dorsey, which is the kind of defensive foundation that can matter long after this season is forgotten. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Faces A Road Problem Mike Elko Cant Ignore
Texas A&M has looked the part at home often enough under Mike Elko, but the road has been a different story altogether. The Aggies are 0-3 away from College Station this season and have gone 6-6 on the road since Elko took over in 2024, a split that stands out even more because the defeats have not been competitive enough to shrug off as bad luck or one-off slipups.
As the Aggies head to South Carolina, the trip carries a little more weight than a routine SEC assignment. Program expectations do not leave much room for a road slide to linger, especially when it has stretched from last season into this one, and breaking that pattern feels like the kind of step Texas A&M needs if it wants to be taken seriously in the conference race. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Fans May Regret How Some Portal Exits Are Rising
A handful of former Texas A&M players are making their new stops count during the 2026 season, giving Aggies fans a fresh look at what might have been. The transfer portal has long been part of modern roster-building, but it can cut both ways, and some of the departures out of College Station are starting to look more meaningful as those players settle in elsewhere.
On defense, Tristan Jernigan and Solomon Williams have been part of the mix at California, while Rylan Kennedy has carved out a role at Florida State and Dealyn Evans has done the same at Mississippi State. The offensive side has had its share of movement too, with tight end Theo Melin hrstrm contributing at SMU and an unnamed offensive lineman doing his part at Texas, a reminder that the portals ripple effects can linger well beyond the offseason. [Read more 🡒]