Sep 7, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko celebrates a 52-10 win against the McNeese State Cowboys at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Texas A&M Road Matchup Named Top-10 Must-Watch by ESPN

Originally posted on Texas A&M Aggies on SI
By Diego Saenz | Last updated May 17, 2025 11:54 AM ET

With 100 days on the schedule before Week 0 of the 2025 college football season, ESPN released its top 10 matchups to watch — and coming in at No. 9 is Texas A&M’s visit to Notre Dame on September 13.

It’ll be a rematch of last year’s season opener, where the Fighting Irish silenced the 12th Man and left Kyle Field with a 23-13 win.

With the game tied 13-13 and under 10 minutes left, Notre Dame leaned on its run game, which had been a strength all year, and sealed the win with a touchdown from Jeremiyah Love.

From there, both teams’ seasons took drastically different paths.

Texas A&M won its next seven games but dropped four of its final five to end the year on a sour note.

The Irish followed their win over A&M with a loss to Northern Illinois, one of the biggest upsets in recent memory. But they quickly regrouped, winning 13 straight to reach the National Championship, where they ultimately fell to Ohio State.

Like last year, this season’s matchup is expected to be a clash of ranked teams. It’s also been officially announced as a night kickoff, adding even more drama to what’s anticipated to be one of the great games of the season.

The Notre Dame game will be the beginning of a gauntlet of a schedule for the Aggies. A&M will play Florida, LSU, South Carolina, and Texas, all programs that may be ranked by the time of the matchup.

First things first though, A&M will need to handle its business against UTSA and Utah State in weeks 1 and 2 to make sure it enters South Bend as a ranked team.

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

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