SEC analyst believes South Carolina could 'blow out' Texas A&M in 2026

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Texas A&M's 2026 schedule is considered much tougher than last season's slate, once again facing LSU and Missouri on the road, along with road tests at South Carolina, Alabama, and Oklahoma before hosting the Texas Longhorns at the end of the regular season. On paper, some, including myself, see a 10-2 finish as a realistic route given the returning and incoming talent.

Entering his third season at the helm, coach Mike Elko's vision for the program is on track after the Aggies made the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history and finished 11-2 and started 11-0 for the first time since 1993. After losing to Texas on the road and to Miami in the first round of the CFP, however, Elko reminded the local and national media in attendance at SEC Media Days that, to keep his roster motivated, all he has to do is "show them our trophy case, and it's empty."

During Elko's ingagural 2024 season, Texas A&M, thanks to the emergence of current starting quarterback Marcel Reed, got off to a 7-1 start before the Aggies' important road trip vs. South Carolina turned into an utter nightmare, resulting in star running back Le'Von Moss tearing is ACL and MCL, while Gamecocks QB LaNorris Sellers led a 24-0 run in the second half to secure the 44-20 victory.

Finishing 9-3 on the year, South Carolina failed to capitalize on its 2024 success, finishing 4-8 last season with five consecutive losses in SEC play, including Texas A&M's memorable comeback 31-30 home win after the Gamecocks led 29-3 at halftime.

With LaNorris Sellers returning for a final season, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer did a solid job rebuilding the offensive line, while star Edge Dylan Stewart returns to lead a veteran defense, and the speedster Nyck Harbor provides Sellers a true No. 1 wide receiver.

Like every SEC team, no one knows how South Carolina's 2026 season will transpire, but SEC analyst and host of Locked on Gamecocks Chris Marler is unsurprisingly confident, picking the Gamecocks to match their 2024 record of 9-3, which, in his opinion, could include a blowout home win vs. Texas A&M.

During an interview on "That SEC Podcast" at SEC Media Days last week, Marler picked the Aggies as his South Carolina blowout victim, stating "Marcel Reed is Marcel Reed" and the Aggies' four new starters along the offensive line have the core reasons Texas A&M could lay an egg in Williams-Brice Stadium this season. The teams will meet in Columbia on Saturday, November 7.

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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: SEC analyst believes South Carolina could 'blow out' Texas A&M in 2026

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