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No. 15 Texas A&M (5-1, 3-0 in the Southeastern Conference) had an early setback when it lost its season opener to No. 11 Notre Dame (4-1) on Aug. 31 in College Station, Texas, but the Aggies find themselves in a great place during their bye week.
Despite the early loss and some challenges in their subsequent victories, all of Texas A&M's goals and then some are still there for the taking.
During a press conference on Oct. 7. head coach Mike Elko praised his team in remarks to the media: "From a big picture standpoint, the thing that I'm most happy with is we're starting to understand what a winning mentality looks like—the effort that it takes, the commitment every single day to a task, to focus, to do the things you have to be successful on Saturday."
Momentum Into Bye Week
Texas A&M has been successful its last five Saturdays, including a dominant performance on the road against Florida (3-2, 1-1) on Sept. 14, a late comeback against Arkansas (4-2, 2-1) in the final Southwest Classic on Sept. 28, and a thorough dismantling of No. 21 Missouri (4-1, 1-1) in College Station on Oct. 5 going into the bye. (Mizzou was a top-10 team before the Aggies routed them.)
A&M has faced stringent tests, with injuries to the offensive line and its quarterbacks, but has passed those exams. Elko and his staff have instilled their desired culture, and the Aggies are beginning to see the hard work pay off, as they draw more national attention.
As the climb continues, Elko realizes the real work lies ahead: "I think our kids are starting to understand a little bit more what the winning edge actually is—to get the performance at the level we want it to be a little bit more consistently," Elko explained. "I think as long as we stay in that mindset and continue to grow every day ... good things can happen for us."
Texas A&M: Road Ahead
Texas A&M is at a great spot at the halfway point. Not many expected the Aggies to have only one loss going into the bye week, and fewer still expected a decisive win over Missouri. However, observers are beginning to mention the Aggies as a potential College Football Playoff team. But can they continue playing at a high level for the next six weeks or so?
It will take a complete team effort from week to week, and no game can be overlooked, but the team isn't letting anything deter it from achieving what it wants.
"I think it's truly a process-based mindset—realizing that we're still a work in progress," offensive coordinator Collin Klein told the media. "It's day-to-day, little decision stacked on little decision basis of who we are. We've been able to stack some wins and some good weeks on top of each other here, but ... you let up for even one second, and it doesn't matter who you play. You are in jeopardy. ... Let's line it up, put the football down and see what happens."
Texas A&M returns to the field with a road game against Mississippi State (1-4, 0-2) on Oct. 19. On paper, that game should not be a challenge, but it will be important for A&M not to get caught looking ahead to its matchup against No.13 LSU (4-1, 1-0) the following week.
If the Aggies can knock off LSU, the path to the 12-team playoff becomes even clearer. There's no telling what other contenders will do, but A&M would then have two top-13 wins (possibly even better depending on future rankings) and an impressive record to go with it. Continuing the run would set up an unprecedented showdown with No. 1 Texas (5-0, 1-0) in the highly-anticipated return of the Lonestar Showdown on Nov. 30 with everything Texas A&M wants to accomplish within reach.
The fact that this scenario is even on the table in Year 1 under a new regime is a testament to what Mike Elko and company are building. Yes, A&M fans will want to beat Texas, but having the opportunity to be in this conversation and potentially achieve higher goals is a gigantic step forward.
Everything Texas A&M is striving for is still out there, but the tests are coming and the season is far from over. How will the Aggies respond?
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