{"id":89110,"date":"2025-12-15T22:25:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T22:25:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/89110\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T22:25:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T22:25:07","slug":"have-texas-ams-cfp-expectations-changed-after-stumbling-to-regular-season-finish-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/89110\/","title":{"rendered":"Have Texas A&M\u2019s CFP expectations changed after stumbling to regular-season finish line?"},"content":{"rendered":"

After Texas A&M\u2019s<\/a> 9-0 start \u2014 its best since 1992 \u2014 the Aggies seemed untouchable.<\/p>\n

Defeating No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 20 LSU, No. 22 Missouri and a wealth of SEC opponents, they firmly established themselves as one of the top three teams in the country and seemed destined for a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.<\/p>\n

But a month later, the Aggies are the only one of the three teams that were undefeated at the time to miss out on a top-four seed and have to play in the opening weekend of the College Football Playoff. Despite finishing 11-1, missing out on the SEC championship meant missing out on a bye and having to host No. 10 Miami in the first College Football Playoff game at Kyle Field.<\/a><\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Sports Roundup<\/p>\n

Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis and opinion delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, Kevin Sherrington’s A La Carte.<\/p>\n

By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Aggies stumbled through their last few weeks of the season. They had to pull off the largest comeback in program history, overcoming a 27-point halftime deficit against South Carolina to escape with a 31-30 win. Them they played a meaningless game against an FCS opponent in Stamford before falling 27-17 against rival Texas<\/a> to close out their regular season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t play a really good second half,\u201d A&M coach Mike Elko<\/a> said Monday. \u201cI think we\u2019ve looked at the tape. I think we\u2019ve seen the areas that we were deficient in. I think we made the proper adjustments.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy definition, it\u2019s all in the past because it happened a while ago. We have to hit the reset button.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Aggies have to sit with the loss for 22 days before getting a chance to redeem themselves at 11 a.m. Saturday.<\/a> It\u2019s a lot of time to think about what went wrong, whether it\u2019s an easy fix or whether the road to the national championship became far more complicated than it appeared in early November.<\/p>\n

At that time, expectations may have been championship or bust for an A&M team dominating on both sides of the ball.<\/p>\n

But Elko said those expectations were never fair to put on a team with a coaching staff only in its second year and a program that hasn\u2019t won a national championship since 1939.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a lot of busts if that\u2019s the only marker,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to establish a championship-type of program. \u2026 I think we\u2019re obviously in this thing to compete for a national championship for sure. We believe we can. We believe we\u2019re one of the teams that\u2019s capable of going out there and winning it. But I don\u2019t know that you define seasons like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, despite being in the College Football Playoff for the first time and drawing one of the most difficult matchups of the first round, A&M\u2019s coaches and players will consider the run a disappointment if they can\u2019t pull off a win Saturday.<\/p>\n

Knowing the crowd they\u2019ll have at Kyle Field and the crowd they could have at the Cotton Bowl in Arlington,<\/a> they\u2019re set up for two home-game environments if they can play closer to how they did the first nine games of the season rather than the last three.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t just want to make the playoffs,\u201d Elko said. \u201cThat\u2019s obviously the first step, but we don\u2019t want to be the ones that just get invited and then have to go home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

The national narrative around A&M has quieted. Quarterback Marcel Reed<\/a> dropped out of the Heisman race. Few are predicting the Aggies get by Ohio State \u2014 and some doubt they\u2019ll get past the Hurricanes.<\/p>\n

But for now, their season is still alive. What happened in the last three weeks \u2014 and the first nine \u2014 doesn\u2019t really matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t afford the time to sit and sulk,\u201d offensive lineman Dametrious Crownover said. \u201cWe had our time off to go sit and sulk about it. Now, we\u2019ve got to go win a national championship.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Twitter\/X: @Lassimak<\/a><\/p>\n

Texas A&M promoting Holmon Wiggins to offensive coordinator after Collin Klein\u2019s departure<\/a>2025 AP All-America teams: Aggies, Red Raiders earn first-team nods<\/a><\/p>\n

Find more Texas A&M coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n