Texas A&M Earns Top-10 Spot in Preseason Coaches Poll

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Texas A&M spent last season proving Mike Elko could transform the program into a College Football Playoff contender, and now, coaches expect it to remain one.

The Aggies opened at No. 8 in the 2026 preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, released Tuesday. Ohio State claimed the No. 1 ranking ahead of Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Notre Dame.

Defending national champion Indiana received 14 first-place votes, second only to Ohio State’s 38, but opened at No. 6.

Miami … who ended Texas A&M’s season in the first round of the playoff … landed one spot ahead of the Aggies at No. 7.

The ranking represents Texas A&M’s first preseason top-10 placement in the Coaches Poll since opening at No. 7 in 2022. That team finished 5-7.

This version of the Aggies possesses considerably more evidence supporting its expectations.

Texas A&M finished 11-2 last season, tied for the SEC’s best regular-season conference record at 7-1 and earned the first College Football Playoff appearance in program history.

The 11 victories were the second most in a season at Texas A&M, trailing only the 12 earned by the 1992 team, but the ending created unfinished business.

A 27-17 loss against Texas eliminated the Aggies from SEC championship contention. They then produced only three points during a 10-3 home playoff loss against Miami.

Redshirt junior quarterback Marcel Reed’s development will help determine whether Texas A&M moves beyond that ending.

As our own Nick Teague recently examined … Reed’s combination of dual-threat production and costly mistakes makes him the most unpredictable portion of the Aggies’ championship pursuit.

The returning starter passed for 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns last season while adding 493 yards and six scores on the ground. He also threw 12 interceptions, including the red-zone turnover that ended Texas A&M’s final opportunity against Miami.

Reed will begin his junior season without former offensive coordinator Collin Klein, who returned to Kansas State as its head coach. He will, however, retain Mario Craver after the receiver recorded 59 catches for 917 yards last season.

The surrounding schedule won't provide much patience.

The SEC placed nine teams in the preseason top 25, and Texas A&M’s 2026 schedule includes six of them.

The Aggies travel to LSU, Missouri, Alabama and Oklahoma before hosting Tennessee and Texas. Their regular-season finale against the Longhorns is scheduled for Nov. 27 at Kyle Field.

While preseason rankings won't return Texas A&M to the playoff, they do reflect that last season changed the standard Reed and the Aggies will be expected to meet.

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Texas A&M Earns Top-10 Spot in Preseason Coaches Poll

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