After Mike Elko took Texas A&M to the College Football Playoff in only his second year at the helm in Aggieland, every A&M fan is asking the same question: will they be back next year? It would certainly provide the chance for some retribution after an extremely tough opening-round draw ended with the visiting Miami team taking home a last-second victory, but making it back into that 12-team fold could be tougher than many think.
Earlier on in the offseason, this was not a very auspicious prospect, but with what Mike Elko has accomplished in the transfer portal— especially in rebuilding the lines of scrimmage— those chances have turned on their heads. Despite a difficult 2026 slate, the Aggies look more and more like they will once more be in the playoff mix come next season— and another outlet has begun to recognize those chances in a big way.
CBS predicts Texas A&M to make College Football Playoff in 2026
After ESPN called their shot that the Aggies would be back in the top 12 next season, CBS is now joining in. While Texas A&M fans may not be very jazzed up to see the prediction that the Aggies will be down at the 10-seed line, Miami proved last year that all you need is a chance.
Besides, though coming in at such a low seed would be a disadvantage, you can't deny that this projected first-round matchup would be absolutely electric. According to CBS, the Aggies would be headed up to Eugene to face off with Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks in Autzen Stadium— a game that Aggie fans everywhere would love to see.
Texas A&M had a home and home series scheduled with the Ducks a while ago before it was eventually replaced with a series against Clemson during their championship run with Trevor Lawrence. The Aggies have never played Oregon, so a trip up to Autzen would be quite the treat for fans.
Of course, that's no easy first-round draw— but those are few and far between in the College Football Playoff. This would be a result that many Aggies would welcome, I'd wager— and it's not hard to see why.