Very recently, some dweeb at this publication — myself — suggested in a bold predictions piece that the Aggies could lose their first game of the season to the visiting Florida Gators. While bold, it's certainly not impossible. So, let's discuss the few things that would need to happen to keep Texas A&M from celebrating another victory this weekend.
A team finally takes advantage of Texas A&M's issue with penalties
Texas A&M has been playing with fire in the Mike Elko era, as his teams have been among the most penalized in the sport since he took over as head coach. It's been a non-factor to this point of the season, with no opponent being able to take advantage of those mistakes, but just because it hasn't happened doesn't mean it never will.
Texas A&M not getting a penalty challenge: Impossibe
— Adam (@Adamhxyz) October 5, 2025
All it takes is one game for the penalty margin between the two teams to be significant, and suddenly the Aggies could find themselves in a bind. Florida has done a nice job limiting penalties this season, averaging just 46 penalty yards per game compared to the Aggies' 75. It's not a guarantee that these issues will come to haunt them this week, but it's certainly something that could pave the way to a Florida victory.
Whatever the Florida offense found last week multiplies in success
Florida's offense hit a new gear last Saturday against Texas and looked nothing like the woeful group it was during the first month of the season. Whether it was a fresh mindset off the bye week, the season debut of five-star wideout Dallas Wilson, putting the ball in the hands of its best player — Jadan Baugh — 25-plus times, or all of the above, something clicked for this Gator offense in a massive way.
This team was averaging 287.3 yards and 11 points per game before its bout with Texas, both bottom-15 marks nationally, and had converted on just 23.81 percent of its third down attempts. Those numbers exploded despite facing what's still a talented Texas defense, as the Gators racked up 457 yards of offense, 29 points and converted on seven of the team's 14 third downs.
It could've been a one-time thing. It could've been a bad day for the Texas defense. All of that can be true. However, if this was just the introduction for what's to be an even better encore, the Florida offense may erupt at Kyle Field this weekend and create an impossible situation to overcome.
The Gators just need this game more
Desperation mode deserves more credit than it gets. In a sport where the level of competition isn't as wide as we imagine it to be, truly any outcome is possible. It's why Florida State could smack around Alabama and then lose to Virginia just a month later, and why a UCLA team that had yet to lead a game for a second this season put up 42 points on Penn State and sent them into their own downward spiral.
This feels like one of those perfect trap games for Florida, and a nightmare situation for Texas A&M. The Gators have their backs against the wall, a coach that's fighting for his job, and positive signs of life after the way they performed last weekend. We've also seen this run before, with the Gators pulling off upsets over Ole Miss and LSU last season despite starting the season 4-5.
Texas A&M has been one of the best stories in the sport and has built one of the more impressive resumes in college football, all while improving as a team with each passing week. An undefeated campaign would be amazing, even 11-1 would be an exceptional finish, but it's also unrealistic in today's sport. The Aggies could play a great game, just as they have all season, and it still might not be enough to fight off the hungry underdog. It's a terrible cliche, but it rings true here: the Gators just need this game more and could pull out all the stops to get the job done.