For the first time in a very long time, it seems as though Texas A&M has the right head coach to lead them. The Aggies are playing with a sense of togetherness that has not been accustomed to College Station. While they have had their moments under previous head coaches, they always felt like a flash in the pan from a national perspective. Under Mike Elko, the Aggies feel like a real playoff contender.
While they can afford a loss or two on the season, Saturday night is not the time to let one fall to the wayside. The Florida Gators are coming into Kyle Field fresh off a potential program-saving win for head coach Billy Napier. Texas A&M is 5-0 and ranked inside the top five coming in. This is a bit of untrodden territory for them, but Elko and his staff are giving off the vibes of a team that can hang.
Last week's bullying of Mississippi State at home should give the Aggies a ton of confidence coming in to improve to 6-0. To be bowl eligible in the minimum amount of games should have Gig Em Nation chomping at the bit about making the playoff. Of course, many of Elko's predecessors would lose this type of game. They need to end Florida's last sliver of hope before they clean Arkansas's clock next.
If the SEC is going to get four or more teams into the playoff, then Texas A&M has to remove all doubt.
Texas A&M Aggies must focus to avoid potentially being upset by Florida
On the year, Texas A&M is 5-0 overall, 2-0 in SEC play and 3-0 vs. Power Four competition, thanks to a crazy road win over Notre Dame a month ago. The Aggies' two SEC wins were at home to Mississippi State last week and Auburn two weeks ago. Florida is of their ilk, but the Aggies' toughest conference games are yet to come. They have to play at LSU, at Missouri and at Texas before the end of the year.
So what this all boils down to is if Texas A&M envisions itself making the College Football Playoff for the first time, it cannot realistically afford a home loss to Florida, even if they are on upset alert. While Notre Dame may end up being the best team they will face this year, LSU, Missouri and Texas are all opponents that could conceivably get the best of the Aggies. This does not include South Carolina...
In the end, we are looking at a program-changing head coach in Elko. He knows what is at stake here. After a great two-year run in Durham, he returned to College Station with a vision. That is to take the Aggies to the promised land. If they were to make the playoff, Texas A&M has the depth and players to potentially navigate the gauntlet. It is all about getting there without predictable hiccups vs. Florida.
Adversity will strike at some point for this team, but a home loss to Florida will be quite devastating.