There's already been a lot of talk about Texas A&M's schedule in 2026 compared to the 2025 season. In the leadup to last year, of course, many were discussing how tough the slate would be, with trips to LSU, Texas, and Notre Dame on the docket— and by season's end, no one was doing anything but criticizing A&M's strength of schedule (likely because A&M won 11 of their 12 games!).
This year, it's hard to declare that this will be anything but a complete war for the Aggies from start to finish. Texas A&M has trips to Baton Rouge, Norman, Tuscaloosa, and both Columbias coming down the pike, all of which will be very tough games— and that's not even to mention visits from Texas and Tennessee to Kyle Field.
WIth so many highlight games on the slate, though, it's tough to declare one as clearly the most pivotal. However, that's just what CBS Sports has done in their latest article— and it's tough to declare that they're anything but dead-on in this call.
CBS Sports calls Texas A&M's game against LSU their most pivotal of 2026 season
The nod goes to the Aggies' trip down to Baton Rouge in game four of the 2026 season here. Here's the logic behind that selection:
"The Aggies have a laundry list of key games on their 2026 slate, but few are more important than this early road trip to Baton Rouge. Not only is this a rivalry game, but it may also have a major impact on the SEC Championship race. If Texas A&M goes into Baton Rouge and loses, it may have to go 4-1 in matchups against Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas in order to finish the regular season with just two losses."Austin Nivison, CBS Sports
The Aggies start off with Missouri State, Arizona State, and Kentucky, so a loss to LSU in week four would stain their reputation going forward, as it's their first real testing ground. Perception is everything in this new world of college football, as we know— the Aggies could put up impressive numbers, but if pollsters have a poor impression of them, then it's a moot point.
The Aggies won last year in Baton Rouge in the game that got Brian Kelly fired, so this will be personal for the LSU Tigers. Winning on the Bayou has not been a regular practice for the Aggies— or any visiting team not named Alabama, honestly— so this is a big chance for A&M to show just how much the culture has changed for them.
There are a few things to like here, though. First of all, the Tigers will be in an emotional letdown state after a trip to Oxford, Mississippi the week before— possibly the most dynamic and hatred-filled game of the entire year in college football. That will help the Aggies a bit against this squad, no doubt.
The second thing is that this will only be game four of Lane Kiffin's tenure at LSU, so they may still be working otu the kinks. There are reasons to believe that he doesn't really like this team's potential all that much, despite their amazing portal class, so if they come on, it may be the end of the season when they do so.
The third thing is that LSU still retains their defensive coordinator, Blake Baker, from the previous two years. In case you've forgotten, the Aggies— and Marcel Reed in particular— have absolutely owned Baker since he's been in Baton Rouge, putting up 38 and 49 points on his defense in consecutive years. He's been patently unable to stop A&M's ground game with Reed in specific, which bodes well for the Aggies.
In any case, this will be a watershed moment for the 2026 season: how good are the Aggies, really? How quickly can Kiffin implement his system in Baton Rouge? A lot of questions will be answered in this one on both sides— and the Aggies are hoping to ace that quiz.
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