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Texas A&M Has SEC Championship Potential
Nov 30, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko reacts during the second half against the Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns defeated the Aggies 17-7. at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Throughout their time in the SEC, the Texas A&M Aggies have mostly occupied the middle tier of the conference, good enough to compete but not good enough to make it to the conference championship game, let alone win one.

Of course, they've come close a few times, such as in Johnny Manziel's Heisman season in 2012 and the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but the SEC Championship Game remains elusive.

However, there's no time like the present to change that, is there?

Texas A&M's Best-Case Scenario Includes SEC Championship Appearance

CBS Sports' Brad Crawford recently went over the best- and worst-case scenarios for each SEC teams. For the Aggies' their best-case scenario involves them going 10-2 and 7-1 in conference play.

"What does Mike Elko have planned for his encore in Year 2? For starters, a steady run game and weapons at the wide receivers spots for quarterback Marcel Reed. We're not going to know what this Aggies team looks like until Week 3 given the schedule's early softness," Crawford wrote. "A 10-win finish with seven coming against SEC competition means the projection here includes a loss at likely playoff-bound Notre Dame."

While Crawford doesn't explicitly say the Aggies would make the SEC Championship Game with that finish, they most likely would. Last year, the SEC canibalized itself so much that Georgia, which finished 6-2 in conference play, made the conference championship game and won it. Even the Aggies would've made the SEC Championship Game at 6-2 in conference play if they had beaten Texas in the regular season finale.

Last year was the first season of the SEC using a divisional format, but going back even further, teams that went 7-1 in conference play almost always made the championship game.

That begs the question, though, what about the Aggies' worst-case scenario? Well, Crawford believes that 5-7 is the A&M's floor. If that sounds familiar, it should, because that's basically exactly what happened in 2022, by far the Aggies' worst season in the SEC and the only one where they didn't make a bowl game.

"There's some regression coming, right? Texas A&M finished one SEC win shy of a berth in the league title game last fall, part of a late-season falter that put a cloud over an otherwise notable campaign. If all goes according to plan for respective opponents, Texas A&M will not be favored on the road against Notre Dame, LSU or Texas -- and the home showdown with Florida on Oct. 11 could get tricky if quarterback DJ Lagway is the breakout performer most are expecting."


This article first appeared on Texas A&M Aggies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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