Preseason AP poll overreaction: Texas A&M's rivals perfectly set up for huge failure

Texas A&M football is way lower in the preseason AP Poll than, by rights, they should be. The Aggies have the depth, talent, and experience to really threaten for some huge results in the 2025 season, and even if the pollsters haven't cottoned onto that yet, the computers are showing just how prodigious the Aggies' chances are.

There will be more analysis to come about where the Aggies are, of course, but looking around at some of the other rankings ahead of the season, there are quite a few points of interest for Texas A&M fans. Those points of interest, as always, are found by checking in on where the rivals rank.

The elephant in the room is the preseason number one ranking for Texas, buoyed by the bevy of offseason Arch Manning hype pieces. Then, you have the Aggies' other major opponent, the LSU Tigers, up at number nine. Both of these, however, set up A&M fans for some delicious rival tears in the upcoming year.

Preseason AP Poll sets Aggies' rivals up for hilarious failure, while A&M has chance to rise considerably

I'll start off by saying that I think LSU actually has a pretty good chance to do well for themselves this year, and I think that they are by far the toughest game on the Aggies' schedule for 2025. However, this just sets up way too perfectly for a Bayou Bengal opening loss— for the third year in a row.

The Tigers have to venture to Clemson, South Carolina for a showdown with Dabo Swinney's squad in a night game on week one. That's a recipe for disaster, as Kelly has had better LSU teams lose to worse opponents in openers in his time in Baton Rouge.

They will no doubt end up still being a solid contender, but this sets them up to stumble at the first hurdle, sending the state of Louisiana into conniptions. Kelly's time is limited in Baton Rouge, as he simply isn't a great fit there, and this will hasten the already-circulating discontent.

Then, you have the Longhorns, who achieved their ranking simply due to clout. Both SP+ and FEI ratings have Texas outside the top 4, and, incidentally, their week-one opponent, Ohio State, tops both of those rankings.

Starting Arch Manning and a very green pair of lines in the Horseshoe in week one is a recipe for complete disaster in Austin. Combine that with a trip to the Swamp as well as Athens on the conference slate, and a late-season showdown with the Aggies— not to mention the feared back-to-back SEC road trip (even if it is against Mississippi State and Kentucky)— and the Longhorns could be staring down the barrel of 8-4.

This could be an unparalleled season for schadenfreude for Aggie fans. It's time to sit back and watch the chaos begin.