College football’s shifting playoff landscape may have arrived at the perfect moment for Mike Elko and Texas A&M.
What’s shaping up to be a miserable 2026 season for the Aggies has little to do with the future, at least in theory. Texas A&M entered this year with top-10 expectations and College Football Playoff ambitions, but an anemic offense has left the program headed toward a fight just to make a bowl. That kind of collapse is a brutal reality check - and yet in today’s version of the sport, it doesn’t have to linger for long.
The reason is obvious enough: programs can patch holes fast through the transfer portal, and now the path back looks even cleaner with the reported playoff changes on the way. Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that the long-discussed 24-team College Football Playoff expansion is “nearing a deal,” a development that has felt inevitable for a while even with periodic resistance from various conferences.
For A&M, the timing matters. The Aggies can absorb this season, then reset for a shot at getting back into the national picture once the expanded field arrives as soon as next season. Under a 24-team format, they could realistically be back in the Playoff conversation by 2027.
The ripple effects across the sport are real, too. Conference championship games are now the most likely thing to get squeezed out, simply because the schedule will need room for another playoff weekend. The 12-team era already pushed the postseason earlier, and adding more teams only tightens the calendar further.
There’s plenty about that direction that doesn’t exactly scream good for the long-term health of college football. But in the short term, it lowers the bar for teams like Texas A&M to stay alive in the race. That doesn’t solve the Aggies’ problems, and it doesn’t make the SEC any softer, but it does make the road back a little less punishing.
If the standard really becomes “be ranked and you’re in,” that’s a major change in how the postseason works. Even so, remaining in the national conversation gets easier under that setup. And with A&M’s SEC schedule only getting tougher, the fix still has to start on offense if the Aggies want to matter again in 2027 and beyond.
The recruiting class could help, assuming Elko and his staff hold it together. A&M is expected to have one, possibly two, ready-to-play starters on the offensive line, along with Eric McFarland as a dynamic outside option and Jaden Upshaw as a do-it-all receiver. There are also a host of heavyweights coming on the defensive side.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Suddenly Faces A Lineup Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Texas A&M heads into its game against The Citadel with a deeper health concern than it first appeared, as seven more players are set to miss the matchup because of injury. That adds to an already thinning roster that had been without Terry Bussey and Blake Ivy, and it means the Aggies will be leaning heavily on younger players to fill some key spots.
Six of the seven new absences are starters, which is where the real concern starts to show. Even with a manageable opponent on paper, Texas A&M is trying to navigate injuries while keeping enough depth intact for the tougher stretch ahead, and this week offers another reminder that the roster is being tested in ways the Aggies cant really afford. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Faces One Frustrating Test It Can't Flunk Against The Citadel
Texas A&M gets one last non-conference tune-up before the SEC grind fully takes over, and the setting is about as straightforward as these November matchups come. The Aggies and The Citadel have both had difficult seasons, which gives this meeting a little extra weight even if it does not carry the usual league implications. For Texas A&M, it is also a chance to clean up execution and stack a needed win before the schedule gets tougher.
Marcel Reed will be the most watched name on the Aggies side, with kicker David Olano and running back Gavin Garcia also part of the important details. The Citadel brings its own pieces to track, including kicker Evan Kiely and running back Rueben Owens, and the matchup offers Texas A&M a final chance to look sharper in the areas that tend to decide games it should control. What the Aggies cannot afford is a flat afternoon that leaves more questions than answers heading into the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Saw Something Encouraging In A Blowout That Fans Needed
Texas A&M got the kind of get-right game it needed against The Citadel, and the larger takeaway went beyond just padding the win column. The Aggies picked up their fourth victory of the season, but the most useful part of the afternoon was the way a few young pieces kept showing up in spots that matter, with Jamarrion Morrow and KJ Edwards each giving the staff something to point to moving forward.
The defense also had an encouraging stretch, even with The Citadel moving the ball on the ground enough to top 100 rushing yards. Texas A&M still kept the scoreboard clean, and that kind of response matters when a team is trying to steady itself after a few uneven weeks. Add in the reliability of David Olano on kicks, plus the fact that some players were unavailable, and it was the sort of game that offered more than a lopsided final score. [Read more 🡒]