Texas A&M is coming off of their first-ever playoff appearance this past season, and though it didn't go the way that fans wished it had, it still represents quite the step for this program under Mike Elko. With so many players departing the Aggies after last year, the thought was that 2026 would be a rebuilding year for Elko and company, but after seeing what Texas A&M has done in the portal this past cycle, many are starting to realize that the Ags will once again be contenders for the playoff.
The 2026 schedule will be at least as tough as this past year's, though— and that's saying something. The Aggies had to win at Notre Dame and at LSU to get into the playoff in 2025, and they'll have to face six ranked teams in this upcoming year. However, one of the brightest minds at ESPN— Bill Connelly, the architect of SP+, a highly-regarded statistical model for college football— sees the Aggies forging their way through that tough slate.
Texas A&M predicted to make 2026 College Football Playoff with even higher seed than 2025
In his way-too-early playoff prediction, Connelly tabs the Aggies as the six seed in the field for the upcoming year. Texas A&M was 7th this past season after a late loss to their rival, but should certainly have been higher by most metrics.
* SEC title still goes through Athens
— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) January 22, 2026
* B1G title still DOESN'T go through Columbus
* Did Tech's $$ wreck the close-games conference??
* 🙌
* Which G6 teams have the schedule?
I projected the 2026 CFP. And yes, Hawaii and Oklahoma State are in. Obviously. https://t.co/eVkdmHWLxa
Connelly credits the "return of veteran quarterback Marcel Reed and underrated star receiver Mario Craver," in addition to what Elko did in the portal (particularly along the offensive and defensive fronts) as factors that "should assure a pretty high level of play again in College Station." He closes his assessment of the Aggies by saying that, though there are few "sure things" in the SEC for the upcoming year, "A&M has plenty to offer."
That's a pretty fair assessment from a rather unbiased source in Connelly. In his projection, he has the Aggies facing 11-seed Oklahoma State (who he has as the last P4 team in thanks to the addition of Eric Morris and basically the entire dynamic 2025 North Texas offense), with the Ags winning before falling to Texas Tech in the second round.
While no Aggie fan would relish losing to Tech, making another step forward next year under Elko would be pretty big for this program. The hype is already beginning, and with a little more cache this upcoming season, the Ags could break through in a big way next year.