Why Penn State should root for an early end to Texas A&M's season

The Penn State Nittany Lions might be playing extra close attention to the Texas A&M Aggies the rest of the 2025 season.

On Thursday, ESPN college football reporter Adam Rittenberg wrote about an already chaotic coaching carousel, which Penn State entered earlier this month by firing head coach James Franklin with $49 million owed on his contract, and labeled Texas A&M's Mike Elko a top option for the Nittany Lions.

He should be even more in demand with Matt Rhule, who had been connected to the job since it opened, signing a two-year extension with Nebraska through 2032. As Rittenberg notes, Elko has ties to the area, playing collegiately at Penn and growing up in nearby New Jersey.

Potential deep CFP run perhaps biggest obstacle in Mike Elko becoming Penn State head coach

"Elko might be deciding between two well-resourced programs," Rittenberg wrote.

"The again," he added, "if Texas A&M makes the CFP as a top-four seed, Penn State might have to make its hire sooner."

Indeed, the longer the Aggies' season goes, the less realistic Elko becomes as a relocation candidate. On Oct. 7, the NCAA moved to a single college football transfer portal window, set for Jan. 2-16, 2026. 

The first round of the 12-team College Football Playoff runs from Dec. 19-20 and includes teams ranked 5-12 in the playoff rankings. The quarterfinals, featuring the country's top four teams, are scheduled for Dec. 31-Jan. 1.

If Associated Press No. 3 Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0 in SEC) ends the season with a top-four seed or goes on an extended CFP run, Elko might be less likely to feature in Penn State's plans. The NCAA's amended transfer portal rules grant players on teams that reach the championship game, set for Jan. 19, a five-day period (Jan. 20-24) to enter the portal, but getting a late start would put Elko at a disadvantage, as most other top players in the portal would be off the board.

The earlier the Aggies' season ends, the better for Penn State's ability to lure him from College Station to Happy Valley. Barring a stunning collapse over its final four games, however, Texas A&M has positioned itself well to earn an at-large bid if it doesn't receive the SEC's automatic berth.

Over its final four games, Texas A&M plays on the road against No. 19 Missouri (6-2, 2-2 in SEC) and No. 20 Texas (6-2, 3-1 in SEC) and at home against South Carolina (3-5, 1-5 in SEC) and Samford (1-7, 1-5 in Southern). Even with losses in its two ranked road tests, Texas A&M should be a 10-2 team at the end of the regular season, likely good enough to make the playoffs. Per ESPN's Football Power Index, the Aggies are projected to be an 11-win team, with a 96.4 percent chance to make the CFP and a 19.9 percent chance to reach the national championship game, the fourth-best odds in the country.

Elko is by far the best candidate being tossed around in Penn State's head coach search, and he becomes more attractive — and unattainable — with each win.