COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M football head coach Mike Elko‘s energy during his weekly press conference may have clarified any misunderstandings about what this week was all about.
The Aggies’ leader is typically guarded, but in a playful manner. He once kiddingly barbed a handsome reporter’s Boston Red Sox hat during the MLB playoffs. However, there were no jokes Monday.
Not this time, not this week.
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In a room full of reporters eager to ask about the upcoming game against the Texas Longhorns (8-3, 5-2 SEC), several of Elko’s answers were direct and succinct during the brief 15-minute speaking period.
It didn’t come across as a man who was annoyed with the people or the questions; it felt like a man locked in on the task at hand. If Texas A&M (11-0, 7-0) beats Texas, the Aggies are headed to their first-ever SEC title game.
“You know the emotions are going to be high; you know the energy is going to be high,” Elko said. “Through all of that, you have to find the laser focus.”
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Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko talks to his staff during an injury time out against Samford in the fourth quarter Nov. 22, 2025, in College Station.
Sam Craft/Associated Press
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A&M football locked in on Longhorns
The Aggies lost 17-7 in last year’s matchup, a defeat that cost them a spot in the SEC championship game. This year, the stakes are high once again.
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Not only does A&M have a spot in the conference title game on the line again, but it’s also looking to complete an undefeated regular season and maintain its chances for a first-round bye in the College Football Playoffs.
“This is the final week, so finishing the season is important, and finishing this week and this journey is important,” Elko said.
[Aggies updated College Football Playoff picture]
On the other sideline is a Longhorns team that cannot afford another loss. No three-loss team has made it to the CFP without winning its conference, and despite that, Texas may have a strong case for being the first to do so with a win Friday. A win over A&M would be the Longhorns’ third top-10 win of the season.
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A fourth loss would throw all of that out of the window.
Texas is 7-0 in its last seven home games. It will need an eighth straight win if it wants to join the conversation for the field of 12, like its in-state rival.
“I’m sure this will be a four-quarter game like it always will be,” Elko said. “They were playing a lot of young guys and a lot of new starters. As they’ve gone through the season, you’ve seen a lot of growth… It’s a good football team.”
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It’s the first time in 15 years that Texas A&M will play a football game in Austin. The Aggies haven’t defeated the Longhorns since 2010, thanks to a decade-long suspension of the rivalry after the Aggies left the Big 12 for the SEC at the end of 2011.
With so much at stake, Elko decided to set aside any playful banter about a ballcap or anything else. The coach appears to recognize the significant challenge of the 17th-ranked Longhorns.
“They’re a really talented football team. Any time you play this game, it will have a different energy about it,” Elko said. That will be one of the biggest challenges that comes with it. It will be an exciting opportunity for us on Friday night.”
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Reach Texas A&M beat reporter Tony Catalina via email at Anthony.Catalina@statesman.com.