The 2025 college football season is closing in on the halfway point for most teams. Things are getting interesting in the SEC in terms of positioning at the top of the standings.
By the end of the regular season, things will sort themselves out as to who the top two teams are left standing in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta on the first Saturday in December. One team that is off to an undefeated start is Texas A&M. Mike Elko has his team at 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the conference.
Their conference wins are over Auburn and Mississippi State, nothing earth-shattering, but that hasn’t stopped one college football writer from having confidence in the Aggies.
Stewart Mandel Has Confidence in Texas A&M Through Five Games
Texas A&M faces an interesting matchup this weekend when they host Florida. The Gators are coming to College Station after upsetting Texas at home last weekend. Regardless, Stewart Mandel of The Athletic named Texas A&M the SEC school he has the most confidence in so far in 2025.
“The SEC team I’m feeling most confident about, though: No. 6 Texas A&M (5-0, 2-0 SEC). For one thing, the Aggies’ Week 3 win at Notre Dame was one of the most impressive non-conference wins anyone had last month. Meanwhile, in its first two conference games, against Auburn and Mississippi State, A&M has allowed just one third-down conversion. Combined,’’ wrote Mandel.
The win over Notre Dame was indeed the most impressive non-conference win so far this year. The win over Mississippi State may not be impressive, but as Mandel pointed out, the Bulldogs lost at home the week before in overtime, 41-34, to Tennessee.
“A week after the much-improved Bulldogs (4-2, 0-2) lost an overtime shootout against Tennessee, they scored their only touchdown midway through the fourth quarter in a 31-9 Aggies victory. A&M also got a career night from third-year running back Rueben Owens (21 carries, 142 yards). Kyle Field should be rocking for next week’s prime-time date with Florida,’’ wrote Mandel.
Texas A&M Has a Gauntlet Schedule Remaining
Greg McElroy had a warning for the rest of the SEC that had Florida left on their schedule earlier this week that the Gators are going to be a problem. Despite the problems Florida has been having this year and Billy Napier’s hot seat, Elko won’t let his team overlook them.
Texas A&M closes out its SEC schedule with road games at Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, and Texas, with South Carolina being their lone conference home game. If the Aggies are going to get to Atlanta, they’ll certainly earn it.
Elko’s offense is averaging 34.8 points a game and has benefitted from two transfer portal additions. Wide receiver Mario Craver, who came over from Mississippi State, has 557 receiving yards, and KC Concepcion, who came over from North Carolina State, has 401 receiving yards. Quarterback Marcel Reed has thrown for almost 1,300 yards through five games.
It is easy to see why Mandel has confidence in Texas A&M. Their schedule gets tougher over the next month in terms of conference road games, and if they take care of business, they will end up in Atlanta. If they don’t, an at-large College Football Playoff bid is a real possibility. Their win at Notre Dame may end up being their biggest win when all is said and done at the end of the season.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post One Surprising SEC School is Gaining the Confidence of College Football Writer appeared first on Heavy Sports.