Texas A&M’s 2026 schedule is currently ranked 9th nationally in ESPN’s latest Football Power Index, with road trips to LSU, Missouri, Alabama, South Carolina, and Oklahoma that will be extremely challenging and could determine the Aggies’ chances of returning to the College Football Playoff for the second straight season.
Entering his third season at the helm, coach Mike Elko may have accomplished his goals of making the CFP and seeing a record 10 players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, but after back-to-back losses to Texas at the end of the regular season, followed by losing to eventual national runner-up Miami in the first round of the playoff, Texas A&M has plenty of work to do this fall.
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According to several preseason rankings, the Aggies fall anywhere between 8th and 11th overall, and while some believe the offseason departures will result in taking a step back, starting quarterback Marcel Reed is returning under center, paired with 17 transfer portal additions who will fill starting and key reserve roles to offset the losses, while 65% of the 2025 roster will return.
Texas A&M’s schedule features several highly intriguing games, and according to On3’s Crain & Cone, the regular season finale against the visiting Texas Longhorns unsurprisingly comes in as the duo’s No. 1-ranked SEC matchup given the rivalry’s rich history, and the fact that the Aggies have yet to defeat the the Longhorns at home, or on the road since Texas joined the SEC before the 2024 season.
“The Lone Star Showdown tops the list as Crain & Cone’s biggest SEC game of 2026. The rivalry returned to the SEC last season, with Texas defeating Texas A&M in the latest chapter.
Now, the Aggies will look to return the favor on their home field in another game expected to have major conference and playoff implications. Few rivalries in college football bring the intensity and history that Texas and Texas A&M deliver.”
“Intensity” is the correct term to use when discussing the Lone Star Showdown, which was once banished to message board fights, but has regained its standing as one of the most anticipated matchups in college football, especially in the CFP era.
For Texas A&M to have any shot at winning this year’s battle, Marcel Reed, who threw for less than 250 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions, must play his best football at the end of the season and eliminate the mental mistakes, knowing that Texas QB Arch Manning could be on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy by season’s end.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: On3 ranks Texas A&M’s rivalry clash as the No. 1 SEC matchup in 2026
