Texas A&M’s 2024 season begins with a marquee matchup vs. 7th-ranked Notre Dame, who will travel to what could be a sold-out Kyle Field for a Saturday night showdown.
Even though the Aggies have yet to take the field, it’s clear that first-year head coach Mike Elko has inherited a talented roster while adding more key pieces on offense and defense through the transfer portal this offseason.
The question remains: is this team good enough on paper to earn a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff? Results this season will provide that answer, but until then, let’s go through the hurdles the Aggies will have to endure before facing the Texas Longhorns to end the regular season.
The first six games are pivotal.
While defeating Notre Dame to open the season isn’t an absolute “must win,” finishing the first six games with a 6-0 or 5-1 record before facing Missouri on Oct. 7 is borderline mandatory, with tough road games against Mississippi State and Auburn looming. Within that stretch, the Aggies will travel to Florida for a Week 3 showdown in the swamp, which looks like anyone’s game on paper.
Texas A&M will need to secure two out of four SEC road games.
While the schedule is somewhat manageable compared to past seasons, remember that the program has not won a road SEC matchup since the 2021 season against Missouri.
Florida looks like a toss-up, but if A&M can get rolling on offense and stay hot heading into October, the Aggies will likely be favored on the road vs. Mississippi State and South Carolina. If A&M can secure both victories, losses to Florida and Auburn shouldn’t hurt playoff positioning.
The Lone Star Showdown could decide A&M’s playoff fate.
While some national media members believe Texas will run through the SEC in the program’s first season, let’s simmer down the hype and focus on realistic expectations. The Longhorn’s schedule is “easy” on paper.
However, SEC football is a whole different kind of challenge, especially in the trenches. This means the Red River Rivalry vs. Oklahoma looks like the Longhorns’ easiest game due to familiarity, outside of hosting lowly Vanderbilt. Also, an early road game to face Michigan and hosting No. 1 Georgia could easily result in two losses.
So, in this scenario, let’s say Texas is 9-2 entering the season finale at Texas A&M, and the Aggies are 8-3, with a final playoff spot on the line. Texas will be favored, but as we’ve witnessed throughout history, this will be anybody’s game.
No. 20 Texas A&M will host No. 7 Notre Dame on Saturday, August 31, at 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will air on ABC.
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