No. 3 Texas A&M (11-0, 7-0 SEC) has reached the final stage of the regular season, set to take on the Texas Longhorns for the second consecutive season after the Lone Star Showdown was renewed once the team from the 40 acres joined the SEC before the 2024 season.
Last season, Texas was on its way to the College Football Playoff, while the Aggies sat at 8-3 with a shot at the SEC Championship, but needed to win out to make the CFP. This season, the tables have turned, and the Aggies are now the team guaranteed a spot in the tournament, while the Longhorns need a win and plenty of help to have any hope of sneaking into the postseason.
However, Texas QB Arch Manning has matched Texas A&M star signal caller Marcel Reed, especially after combining for six touchdowns against Arkansas on Saturday. If Texas’s offensive line holds up for what would be the first time all season, I expect Manning to have a solid outing, but he’ll have to avoid senior edge Cashius Howell, who leads the SEC in sacks (11.5).
Still, this game is about focusing on the task at hand, which hasn’t been an issue for head coach Mike Elko, who, just moments after Texas A&M’s 48-0 win over Samford, stated to his team in the locker room, which was captured during the latest episode of Texas A&M football’s “The Pulse,” that revenge is imminent once the Aggies set foot inside Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium on Friday night.
“We know what this one’s about. It’s been a revenge tour. This has been the last chapter of it. It’s been the last chapter since we walked off that field in Kyle last year.”
A trip to the SEC Championship for the first time in program history is on the line. Still, if Texas A&M loses, I’d expect the Aggies to drop two to three spots in the rankings, which would result in hosting a first-round game instead of earning a CFP bye to the quarterfinals.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Watch Texas A&M HC Mike Elko’s epic speech before facing No. 16 Texas
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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