Oct 18, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko during the first quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Why Mike Elko Believes Texas A&M is Operating as 'The Hunted'

Originally posted on Texas A&M Aggies on SI
By Noah Ruiz | Last updated Nov 2, 2025 7:01 PM ET

Bye weeks are best enjoyed after a key road win, and there were no exceptions for Texas A&M football, which enjoyed a brief period of rest after taking down the LSU Tigers on the road for the first time since 1994.

Things seem to be changing in favor of the A&M program, which is something head coach Mike Elko has been adamant about doing since taking over as the boss in College Station ahead of the 2024 season. During the bye week, Elko chatted with Paul Finebaum with his view of the Aggies going into the toughest stretch of the season.

Elko said things quite frankly, stating that the Maroon and White's success has caused fellow Southeastern Conference rivals to seek out and dismantle their playoff dreams in such a chaotic month of college football.

"We're The Hunted"

Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

"We're the hunted team," Elko told ESPN's Paul Finebaum. "We learned what that felt like last year. It's a good learning lesson and something we had to go through. There's a quiet confidence in our locker room right now. They know what goes in to winning on Saturday's."

Talk is cheap in one of the hardest conferences in college football, something Elko has understood since the very beginning of his tenure with the Aggies. Saying a team is something means far less than what actually happens at the line of scrimmage, and a season can derail in the blink of an eye.

After firing off seven straight wins a year ago, a devastating knee injury to running back Le'Veon Moss set the Aggies on a spiral that cost them a spot in the College Football Playoff, something that the 2025 team has not forgotten nor is eager to repeat.

Moreover, this season feels different to those close to the program, but entering the month of November, the rest of the SEC is hungry to climb to the top of the pecking order, which is a fact A&M will have to be aware of when it travels to Missouri.

Eight games into the season, the hunt to take down the Aggies has been an exercise in futility. With road conquests over Notre Dame and LSU, a pretty picture is being painted for the Maroon and White to continue their pillaging of the conference on the road.

Even so, the Aggies will have to dodge blows from a desperate Missouri team, which will be playing for a shot to stay afloat in the SEC Championship race. Next will be South Carolina at home, where the Aggies will play before a Kyle Field crowd for the first time in over a month.

Samford will follow, with the hunt for undefeated regular season perfection coming down to a classic rivalry showdown with none other than the Texas Longhorns.

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

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