We've gone 19 days without seeing this Texas A&M football team in action, but we're just a few days away from that coming to an end as the Aggies play host to Mario Cristobal's Miami Hurricanes for a round-one matchup in the 2025-26 College Football Playoffs. Mike Elko's crew didn't finish the regular season on a high note, falling to in-state rival Texas. That loss ended both their hopes for a perfect regular season and a trip to the SEC title game, but it did provide them with an extended break to regroup and prepare for the potential battles to come.
Obviously this game carries more weight than anything this team has been presented with so far this season: a win earns the Aggies a trip to the Cotton Bowl where they'd face the Ohio State Buckeyes, but a loss would put an abrupt end to the season — something far too familiar in the early stages of the Elko era. So let's venture into some of the biggest storylines surrounding this matchup as we inch closer to the opening kickoff.
Rest vs. rust ... a tale as old as time
This extended break between action for the Aggies could be looked at as either a blessing in disguise or another hurdle for this team to overcome. On one hand, the team was playing far from its best ball down the stretch — escaping South Carolina with a narrow victory before falling to Texas on the road — and this time off could be a huge opportunity for the team to regroup both mentally and physically before heading on its trek to a national title.
But on the other side you could argue that, for a group that hasn't been playing cohesive football down the stretch, it's hard to find a groove without getting positive game reps in. Miami is also one of the most physical teams in this sport, so it's not like this will serve as an opportunity to fine-tune things and ease back into playing.
Given the grueling stretch of play that an SEC schedule provides, I lean on the side that the importance of rest will outweigh the concern of rust, but it wouldn't surprise me if a slow start Saturday ended up spelling trouble for this Aggie football team, and one of the first things to look for when these teams meet.