Texas A&M's Schedule Creates Several Swing Games That Could Decide the SEC Race

The Texas A&M Aggies are viewed by both Texas A&M fans and college football analysts as a team to finally take the next step forward as a program and cement themselves as one of the top teams not just in the SEC but in the country.

A lot of the expectations for the Aggies rest on the shoulders of the returning talent that helped Texas A&M achieve an 11-2 record and reach the College Football Playoff. And as the returners combine with the incoming talent from the transfer portal and from the high school ranks, the Aggies have one of the better rosters in the SEC.

And when it comes to the Aggies becoming contenders for the SEC and reaching the title game for the first time in program history, head coach Mike Elko and company will have to do so against a tough conference slate that will put the ball in Texas A&M's court.

Texas A&M Faces Several SEC Contenders Throughout the Season

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko calls a play during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the Aggies' non-conference schedule isn't challenging by any means, with the hardest of the matchups being against a retooled Arizona State program, the same can't be said about the teams Texas A&M faces on its SEC schedule, which expands to nine games in 2026.

The Aggies face four teams that will widely be considered prime contenders not just for a spot in the SEC championship game but also realistic title winners. Texas A&M will have to face the LSU Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Oklahoma Sooners on the road while hosting the Texas Longhorns in the final week of the regular season.

Texas A&M will also face two "dark horse" contenders in the SEC, as while their championship outlook is blurry heading into the season, if teams like the Missouri Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers put things together right, those battles could be a bigger challenge than expected.

While in the other three matchups against the Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats, and South Carolina Gamecocks, the Aggies will head into those games as heavy favorites, as seen year in and year out in the SEC, there is no guaranteed win in the conference.

And in the final five weeks of the season, the Texas A&M schedule will take on a team in all three of the categories. A late October trip to Tuscaloosa begins the tough stretch, which is followed by a road trip to South Carolina, and if last year's near upset loss against the Gamecocks was any indication, that matchup could have a trap game written all over it.

The final three weeks of the season will test whether the Aggies are true SEC contenders with a stretch against Tennessee, a road game against Oklahoma, and ending the year with the Lone Star Showdown against Texas.

And the game against the Longhorns has had major SEC championship game implications in the first two seasons in which the rivalry was renewed. Texas A&M will need to avoid three straight losses against Texas, and if history repeats itself, a win could put the Aggies into the SEC title game.

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