If we can't repeat a similar number of wins to last year, we aren't likely to make the playoffs. The committee picks moneymakers not almosts.

kwall94,
I agree.. a 9-3 season vs this schedule would be showing success

Isn't this the same for every single year?

8-4 and will gladly eat crow if I'm wrong.

Ain't gonna be like it used to be.

I agree that 9-3 will be marginal success. The ceiling appears to be 10-2 with a possible SEC Championship game and playoff spot, and the floor is 7-5 with a trip to the Texas Bowl.

Reality will be decided by QB decision making, defensive discipline, timely playcalling, and... luck.

12Howdy said:

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I am thinking that 2026 season will really show us where the program is. A much tougher schedule this year, compared to last year. If the team can sustain success this year, I believe it shows that the program is TRULY solid and on the right track. Last year was awesome, but we have to consider the schedule was not AS tough as this year, plus it produced another loss to t.u... thoughts?

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I thought the loss to t.u. and the playoffs showed us where the program is. We know right now it needs to be fixed.

TexAgs91 said:

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12Howdy said:

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I am thinking that 2026 season will really show us where the program is. A much tougher schedule this year, compared to last year. If the team can sustain success this year, I believe it shows that the program is TRULY solid and on the right track. Last year was awesome, but we have to consider the schedule was not AS tough as this year, plus it produced another loss to t.u... thoughts?

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I thought the loss to t.u. and the playoffs showed us where the program is. We know right now it needs to be fixed.

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Thought the playcalling down that stretch was pretty bad too. I think Klein was not as invested as he was previously.

Kwall94 said:

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It really depends on what the season looks like. If we make the playoffs, that's obviously a successful season that shows we have built a consistent contender.

I would say even a 9-3 season where we are in tight games in all of our losses still has us solidifying a top 3 class in 2027 has us headed in the right direction.

Anything less not so much

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Well this isn't a zoo type take. Take your rational thoughts elsewhere.

The curse is broken

Nelson Wilbury said:

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I agree that 9-3 will be marginal success. The ceiling appears to be 10-2 with a possible SEC Championship game and playoff spot, and the floor is 7-5 with a trip to the Texas Bowl.

Reality will be decided by QB decision making, defensive discipline, timely playcalling, and... luck.

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Why is the ceiling 10-2? What teams are we playing that we have little to no chance to beat?

I would be ok with 9-3 and win over tu. Depends on who the 3 losses are though.

I don't see a definitive loss. I think 12-0 is a reasonable possibility.

I also think 9-3 is a reasonable possibility, with losses to OU, Bama, and those skunks from Austin.

I'm gonna be super pissed if we lose to both LSU and horn.

SirDeofWood said:

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No one said our schedule was easy at the beginning of last year. Let's see how this plays out and enjoy the ride.

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Thats because no one could have predicted

1. LSU would give up on their coach. Starting LT out. Leader on defense was out.
2. Mizzou uses a 3rd string QB as a starter
3. Notre Dame got better in second half of their season
4. South Carolina was a total scam

KatyAggie2000 said:

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Hard to say this season is a more difficult schedule.

Last year at the start of the season we had tu (1), Notre Dame (6), LSU (9), South Carolina (13), and Florida (15).

They all underperformed their pre-season expectations...none made the playoffs. Point being, you just don't know until we get into the season.

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This is an underrated point that no one seems to make when they talk about last year. Before the season our schedule looked brutal. 5 top 15 teams with 3 of them on the road. Over a month on the road mid-season with back-to-back-to-back SEC games. The schedule worked out in our favor, but only the sunshinest of pumpers projected us to start 11-0.

Blonde Coffee Beans said:

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SirDeofWood said:

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No one said our schedule was easy at the beginning of last year. Let's see how this plays out and enjoy the ride.

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Thats because no one could have predicted

1. LSU would give up on their coach. Starting LT out. Leader on defense was out.
2. Mizzou uses a 3rd string QB as a starter
3. Notre Dame got better in second half of their season
4. South Carolina was a total scam

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And there are bound to be things that pop up this year no one predicted.

IMO, there are a lot of question marks surrounding LSU, Mizzou, and Tennessee.

Same for OU...is Mateer who he was early in the year last year? Did the injury completely derail him? Or did he look so great because they were playing subpar teams?

Camp reports about Arch are not stellar...he could underperform again.

Also, did ND really get better in the second half of the season? They played really well against us and Miami and then ripped off a bunch of wins against bum teams...their strong finish was more a product of them playing no one after their first two games.

12Howdy said:

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I am thinking that 2026 season will really show us where the program is. A much tougher schedule this year, compared to last year. If the team can sustain success this year, I believe it shows that the program is TRULY solid and on the right track. Last year was awesome, but we have to consider the schedule was not AS tough as this year, plus it produced another loss to t.u... thoughts?

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Only hindsight will show us how tough the schedule was. 10-2.

9 wins is a success with this schedule, but it won't get us in the playoffs and we will sit home while 4-5 other SEC teams are. So no one would be happy with that

TexasAggie_97 said:

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Why is the ceiling 10-2? What teams are we playing that we have little to no chance to beat?

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If I had to name them now, it'd be @Alabama and @Oklahoma. But it could realistically be any (or all) of the final 5 games. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I just don't see running the table against those 5 teams in 34 days.

Nelson Wilbury said:

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TexasAggie_97 said:

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Why is the ceiling 10-2? What teams are we playing that we have little to no chance to beat?

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If I had to name them now, it'd be @Alabama and @Oklahoma. But it could realistically be any (or all) of the final 5 games. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I just don't see running the table against those 5 teams in 34 days.

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I agree with you that 10-2 is the ceiling with likely road losses at Alabama and Oklahoma. I don't see us running the table against those 5 teams either because that would require winning all 3 road games against Alabama South Carolina, and Oklahoma in addition to 2 home games against Tennessee and Texas.

OMB100GAS said:

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The curse is broken

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Last year there were several curses "the Zoo" predicted could not be broken, until they were broken. Road Games, Night Time at LSU, 8-4.....

Can you imagine… we beat tu in the regular season, in the SEC championship game, and in the playoffs towards our NC!

Or vice versa?

I agree that the 2026 season will show how far this program has come because we have a much tougher schedule. Returning to the playoffs is definitely a successful season because it signals that Mike Elko has built a consistent contender.

I think we have a floor of 7-5 (4-5 SEC) and a ceiling of 10-2 (7-2 SEC) with likely losses to Alabama and Oklahoma and swing games against LSU, South Carolina, and Texas. I included South Carolina as a swing game because we lost our last two road games at Columbia, and we needed a massive comeback to beat South Carolina at Kyle Field last year. I think we will finish 9-3 (6-3 SEC) with losses to LSU, Alabama, and Oklahoma.

I think even going 9-3 in the regular season and winning our subsequent bowl game to finish 10-3 is a successful season because it means winning 10+ games in back-to-back season for the first time since 1991-1994.

If we aren't better than 9-3 with a victory over the sips, this is yet another wasted year.

Current year and results show current program situation

And now, more obvious news at 9pm

No A&M coach has sustained back to back move forward seasons in decades. Think about this. Sherman fell on his face after his turnaround season and was fired. Sumlin never returned to his ground breaking first season and fell on his face in year two. Jimbo had his big 2020 season only to fall flat years after. Can Elko build on last season or does the old 8/5 season return.

amercer said:

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9 wins is a success with this schedule, but it won't get us in the playoffs and we will sit home while 4-5 other SEC teams are. So no one would be happy with that

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We need 10 wins, period. Don't know why my fellow Ags are content to see 9-3 as a success. Our schedule will ALWAYS be hard.

We have the talent, coach, and fan support to make the playoffs every damn year. Anything less is a failure.

The curse died with Tom Hicks Dec 5, 2025

The QB position is the most important position in football. Reed was an above average college QB last year. I wouldn't expect to get any further than we did last year unless he dramatically improves, especially in the big games.

12Howdy said:

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I am thinking that 2026 season will really show us where the program is. A much tougher schedule this year, compared to last year. If the team can sustain success this year, I believe it shows that the program is TRULY solid and on the right track. Last year was awesome, but we have to consider the schedule was not AS tough as this year, plus it produced another loss to t.u... thoughts?

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Naw. Even if we are successful this year - say 9-3 or better there will still be those in the national media and on this website that will be lamenting our program, questioning Elko, etc. Be Honest....

Dimond1968 said:

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No A&M coach has sustained back to back move forward seasons in decades. Think about this. Sherman fell on his face after his turnaround season and was fired. Sumlin never returned to his ground breaking first season and fell on his face in year two. Jimbo had his big 2020 season only to fall flat years after. Can Elko build on last season or does the old 8/5 season return.

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We have not won 10+ games in back-to-back seasons since 1991-1994. The closest we came to achieving that feat was when we went 11-2 (6-2 SEC) in 2012 and then 9-4 (4-4 SEC) in 2013. It's true that Kevin Sumlin never posted another winning SEC record after his first season, but I think he started falling on his face in year 3 in 2014, which was the first of 3 consecutive 8-5 seasons.

Jimbo Fisher went 9-1 (8-1 SEC) in 2020 season only to go 5-7 (2-6 SEC) with a very embarrassing home loss to Appalachian State 2 years later in 2022. That was the first time we missed bowl eligibility since 2008.

Hopefully, Mike Elko can build on an 11-2 (7-1 SEC) finish and playoff appearance last season and win at least 10 games. I think winning 10+ games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1991-1994 is a successful season, and 9-4 would be marginal success. However, I would consider 8-5 or worse to be disappointing.