Texas A&M Lands at No. 11 in ESPN FPI Before 2026 Opener

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Texas A&M enters Week 1 of the 2026 college football season sitting just outside ESPN’s FPI top 10, but the computer clearly hasn’t abandoned the Aggies after an offseason talent drain.

Mike Elko’s team checks in at No. 11 with a 20.0 FPI rating, tied numerically with No. 9 LSU and No. 10 Texas Tech. ESPN’s Football Power Index is a forward-looking measurement designed to predict team strength and future results.

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A 20.0 rating essentially means Texas A&M would be projected to beat an average FBS opponent by roughly 20 points on a neutral field.

Ohio State leads the rankings at 28.7, followed by Texas at 26.9. Notre Dame, Oregon and Georgia complete the top five, while Indiana, Miami, Alabama, LSU and Texas Tech occupy spots six through 10.

The SEC’s fingerprints are all over the leaderboard. Eight conference teams appear in the top 15: Texas, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Tennessee.

That’s either evidence of frightening depth or fresh fuel for everyone tired of hearing how brutal the SEC is.

For Texas A&M, No. 11 represents a hefty vote of confidence after losing 10 players in the 2026 NFL Draft.

That total tied the program record set in 1976 and established a new school high for the seven-round draft era, not an outright all-time record, as some accounts have described it. Four Aggies offensive linemen were among those selected. 

Quarterback Marcel Reed gives the rebuild a proven centerpiece. Reed threw for 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2025, and he enters this season with 5,407 career passing yards, 1,085 rushing yards and 55 total touchdowns.

He has completed 61.6 percent of his career attempts. 

Elko’s second Texas A&M team opened 2025 at 11-0 before consecutive losses ended the season. The Aggies finished 11-2 after falling 10-3 to Miami in their first College Football Playoff appearance. 

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Now comes the reset. Texas A&M opens against Missouri State at 6 p.m. Saturday at Kyle Field, beginning a three-game homestand. 

FPI isn’t a trophy, and computers don’t survive SEC Saturdays. Still, No. 11 says the Aggies haven’t disappeared, they’ve simply reloaded.

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