Texas A&M's lofty preseason rating means another 10-win season is on the way

Texas A&M football reloaded in a major way through the transfer portal this past season, and that work by the coaching staff has the Aggies set up for another big season in 2026. Most thought that this would be a rebuilding year, but thanks to the transfers addressing A&M's biggest needs, the Aggies have a chance to make another big run.

The data is backing up that notion, as Bill Connelly's first SP+ rankings of the year came out today— and the Aggies are looking pretty good in the initial ratings. Texas A&M comes in 9th in those ratings, good for third in the SEC.

Texas A&M's initial SP+ ranking for 2026 sets huge goals for next season

The top two teams from the conference in this ranking are the Georgia Bulldogs and the Longhorns, with Texas coming in 6th and Georgia in 4th. The Aggies' rivals are a bit over-ranked right now to my eye, as the downgrade from Pete Kwiatkowski to Will Muschamp is pretty clear.

Texas is the only team ranked ahead of the Aggies in these ratings that A&M has to play in the regular season, but that doesn't mean it's smooth sailing otherwise. The three teams right behind A&M are LSU, Alabama, and Oklahoma— all of which the Ags have to play on the road.

A 2-1 record in those three games would guarantee the Aggies a 10-win record once again, while 3-0 gets them to 11 wins without a doubt. The season will most likely come down to that final weekend, which Texas A&M will get at home again.

Other teams of interest for the Aggie faithful are Tennessee (15th), Missouri (20th), South Carolina (24th), and Arizona State (42nd). Texas A&M really has zero easy road games this season; all of them should be barn-burners.

If Texas A&M is as good as they appear to be on paper, though, the Aggies should end up as a playoff team once more. It's not going to be easy in the slightest, but Mike Elko and this staff should be able to get the Aggies there barring any major injury setback.