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Texas A&M Breaks Top 10 on Phil Steele's Preseason College Football Ranking

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sydney Ciano | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 5:18 PM ET

Texas A&M football head coach Mike Elko is coming off an 8-4 overall regular season record and a Las Vegas bowl appearance in his first season with the Aggies. Now, he's looking for more wins and a deeper postseason run as he enters year two.

Phil Steele released his annual digital magazine and ranked all 136 FBS teams ahead of the 2025-26 season. Teams' starting points won't matter by the time playoffs come around. It'll be up to the Aggies' offense, essentially, if they stay up at the top or tumble down.

Steele ranked Texas A&M ninth among all college football teams. The Aggies' defense is expected to be a strength in 2025-26 with veteran Albert Regis, Walter Camp Preseason All-America First Team Defense selectee linebacker Taurean York, and All-SEC cornerback Will Lee III.

The offense, however, needs to match. As Marcel Reed enters his second year under center, his growth in skill and confidence in the offseason is expected to shine. He'll have running backs Le'Veon Moss, Amari Daniels, and Rueben Owens to work with too as long as all three remain healthy. For Reed and Elko, 10 wins should be the milestone. Especially if Texas A&M can get past Notre Dame in Week 3, 10 games isn't a long-shot.

All the pieces seem to have come together in the offseason from offense and defense to locker room identity. A No. 9 start to the season isn't too out there for the Aggies and it's a good starting point to work up from.

Steele's top 10 teams were:

1.) Penn State

2.) Notre Dame

3.) Texas

4.) Alabama

5.) Ohio State

6.) Clemson

7.) Georgia

8.) Oklahoma

9.) Texas A&M

10.) Florida

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.