Texas A&M Aggies Real SEC Championship Contenders in 2025? Not So Fast, Says Expert

Could the Texas A&M Aggies make a run at the SEC Championship, and beyond that, a spot in the College Football Playoff?

Yes, it is very possible to find themselves in contention for a spot in Atlanta, and maybe even the playoffs. But according to ESPN's Bill Connelly, the Aggies will need a "breaks" to go their way for that to happen.

In a recent article previewing the SEC in its entirety, he ranked all of the teams in order of tier. Starting with the "conference title contenders," and while six teams found themselves as "contenders," the Aggies were not one of them.

A Few 'Breaks Away' from a Run?

Instead, Texas A&M was in the tier right behind them, known as the teams that are "a couple breakaways from a run." Heading into his second year as head coach, Mike Elko's Aggies were the first team in this tier. So what is holding the Aggies back in the eyes of the ESPN analyst?

Despite the offense, and specifically the passing game, being an issue down the stretch last season, it was the Texas A&M defense that was under the spotlight from Connelly. He mentioned that the unit was "spectacularly all-or-nothing last season," as they gave 30+ points in three of their final five games.

Some of that can be put down to the struggles of Texas A&M to stop opponents' running game. The Aggies' defense finished 42nd against the run, allowing 135.2 yards on the ground per game. While the run defense struggled, the pass defense held its own share of issues.

The Aggies finished 90th against the pass, allowing 232.2 yards per game. The struggles to stop the "forward pass" drew a passion-filled rant from Elko following the team's disappointing Las Vegas Bowl loss to USC.

Yet, that is why adding to the defensive line and secondary was a focus of the offseason for Texas A&M. They added potentially two immediate starters in the secondary in cornerbacks Julian Humphrey and Jordan Shaw.

Then they brought in a myriad of options at pass-rusher to help improve a unit that finished lower in sack rate than you'd expect for a defense that had two top-64 picks in the NFL Draft off the edge.

"The Aggies ranked just 85th in sack rate despite solid work from second-round NFL draft pick Nic Scourton, but the addition of transfer ends Dayon Hayes (Colorado), T.J. Searcy (Florida), and Samuel M'Pemba (Georgia) could help in that regard," Connelly writes. "Big tackle Albert Regis and linebackers Taurean York and Scooby Williams made double-digit run stuffs last season; if the pass rush improves a hair, the defense will too."

Even if it's just by a "hair," it makes you wonder how many more games Texas A&M will win this season compared to last. At the very least, a nine-win season, given improvement on defense and offense, feels like a realistic expectation.