College Football’s Most Overrated? CBS Says It’s Texas A&M

In that same span, A&M shelled out an average of $7.02 million per year on head coaches, reeled in recruiting classes averaging an 11.2 national ranking, and still went just 17–26 against AP Top 25 opponents. Despite having one of the best fan bases in the nation, extremely deep pockets, and elite talent, the Aggies have yet to reach the College Football Playoff. Their closest call came in 2020, when they finished No. 5 in the shortened COVID season.

This is how CBS writer David Cobb summed up Texas A&M’s last decade:

“Texas A&M spent as big as anyone to try and bring about a successful decade, only to be met with mediocrity at every turn. The beginning of this 10-year window coincided with the completion of a $484 million Kyle Field renovation project. Then came the arrival of Florida State's Jimbo Fisher, who began his coaching tenure in 2018 as the nation's fourth-highest-paid coach. Fisher was rated as an "A" hire by CBS Sports and landed four consecutive top-10 recruiting classes, including the No. 1 overall haul in 2022. But it never translated to the field, as the Aggies failed to reach 10 wins at any point in his six-year tenure. Replacement Mike Elko got off to a 7-1 start last season before finishing 8-5. A&M's only top-10 finish since Johnny Manziel's magical run in 2012 came during the COVID-impacted 2020 season, when the Aggies went 9-1 against a schedule that featured just one ranked regular-season foe.”

That lack of elite success is exactly why A&M’s Board of Regents dipped into its deep pockets, paying out $72 million to buy out Jimbo Fisher’s contract.

Perhaps the peak of the “overrated” label came with the much-hyped 2022 recruiting class, touted as the best in college football history, only to fizzle out with little to no real impact on the field.

With head coach Mike Elko at the helm now, though, the overrated labels at College Station could soon disappear. Known for his blue-collar, discipline first mentality, Elko has already started reshaping the culture of the program.

In his first year, he had the Aggies just one win shy of reaching the SEC Championship. Now, with a reloaded roster and a stronger foundation in place, Texas A&M enters year two under Elko with a real chance to finally meet, and maybe even exceed expectations.