Texas A&M football fans are well familiar with just how difficult the grind of an SEC schedule can be on a team over the course of an entire season. The Aggies have too often seen their squad trip up against a team that, while talented, is still in the lower level of the conference as far as win total.
That in mind, it makes sense that the Aggies are often nearer to the top of advanced statistical profiles than they are in the polls, as the temptation towards an erroneously egalitarian view between the conferences is clear in pollsters' voting habits. However, when strength of record is calculated— the difficulty of achieving a given team's win-loss record against their schedule— A&M is nearly always shown to be better off than many teams ahead of them.
That's why this latest announcement from the College Football Playoff committee is so exciting. The strength of record (SOR) metric is something that should have long since been considered by the committee given the inequality of schedule difficulty between teams in the sport, and it looks like it will finally be a part of the committee's calculations— something that could be hugely impactful for A&M this year, in a positive way.
College Football Playoff committee will consider Strength of Record in 2025, opening door for 9-3 playoff Aggies
This recent announcement for changes this upcoming year by the College Football Playoff committee is exciting for A&M fans:
College Football Playoff statement on strength of schedule this season: pic.twitter.com/LmhjzZCGVh
— FBSchedules.com (@FBSchedules) August 20, 2025
Let's pitch a scenario here. Say the Aggies go 9-3, winning at home against South Carolina and Florida, but losing on the road to Notre Dame, LSU, and Texas. Those are some pretty solid wins over teams that, right now, are ranked as top-15 squads, and losses to what many consider to be elite teams.
That could yield a result where A&M is right on the fringe of the playoff field— but when the strength of record is considered, it could boost the Aggies right in. Think of it this way— if those road games are all against top-10 teams, then, by rights, the twelfth-best team would have been expected to lose those games, all things considered.
Of course, a 10-2 year should put A&M squarely in the field without question, and some have predicted as much. But this 9-3 scenario seems a lot more likely at this point if you follow the metrics. Could this addition of SOR consideration lift A&M into the playoff field? We'll just have to wait and see.