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USA Today
02-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Circle these dates: Texas A&M's most difficult obstacles in path to reaching CFP
With the No. 10 most difficult schedule in college football this season, the Texas A&M football program will have many obstacles in its path to the 2025-2026 College Football Playoff. In his first season at the helm in College Station, head coach Mike Elko helped lead the Aggies to the school's first eight-win season since 2021. Texas A&M defeated two programs ranked in the top 10 in 2024, with a 41-10 win over No. 9 Missouri and a 38-23 victory over No. 8 LSU. Although the conclusion to last year's campaign was not ideal, Elko and company have significantly rebuilt the roster with top-ranked portal editions to fill positions of need heading into this season. The 2025 Aggie portal class ranks No. 11 per On3 Sports Transfer Football Team Rankings, as the likes of wideout KC Concepcion (NC State), Mario Craver (Mississippi State), defensive back Jordan Shaw (Washington), Julian Humphrey (Georgia) and more round out Texas A&M's portal class heading into Elko's second year as the head coach in Aggieland. While the roster isn't lacking talent, the Aggies have a difficult and long road ahead to reach the Southeastern Conference Championship and potentially the CFP. Road games in the SEC are no small task, and the non-conference slate includes the College Football Playoff National Championship runner-up. With just 59 days remaining until kickoff at Kyle Field, here are the most difficult games on Texas A&M's schedule in 2025: 1. LSU Tigers Heading into his fourth year as the head coach in Baton Rouge, La., Brian Kelly has assembled one of his most impressive squads yet. While the offensive line will miss the presence of current New England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell, 6-foot-7-inch, 310-pound left tackle Tyree Adams will likely fill that position in his sophomore season. Veteran quarterback Garrett Nussmeier also returns under center for the Tigers after ranking second in the conference with 4,052 passing yards and leading the league with 337 completions last season. With wide receiver Nic Anderson returning to full health, and transfers like Barlon Brown (Kentucky) and Destyn Hill (Florida State) rounding out the LSU wide receiving corps, it is going to be a massive test for the Texas A&M secondary when they face the Tigers on Saturday, Oct. 25, at Tiger Stadium. Kelly and company will be looking for revenge after getting embarrassed by the Aggies in 2024. 2. Texas Longhorns The return of the Lone Star Showdown in 2024 reignited the flame of a rivalry that was first played on Oct. 19, 1984. Although last year's matchup ended with the Longhorns defeating the Aggies 17-7 in College Station, this year's contest could be a different story if the pieces of Elko's roster come together. It will take another incredible defensive performance to stop a quarterback like Arch Manning, however. Manning has all the intangibles to become one of the best signal-callers in the SEC, but he still has much maturing to do if he wants to reach that pinnacle. The complete overhaul of the offensive line will be a challenge for head coach Steve Sarkisian, but the running back room is filled with talent like Quintrevion Wisner, who shredded the A&M defense in last season's contest. If Elko wants to remain in good graces with the Aggie faithful, it will likely take a victory in Austin, Texas, to cap off the year. 3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame Fighting Irish proved they are deserving of recognition for their success. After suffering a devastating upset loss to Northern Illinois in September, Freeman and company bounced back by reaching the College Football Playoff National Championship against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Among those victories in 2024 was a 23-13 win over Texas A&M. As the Aggies travel to South Bend, Ind., on Sep. 13 at 6:30 p.m. CT, Elko and company will get the opportunity to rewrite the wrongdoings of last year's defeat to Freeman's squad. Highly-touted quarterback CJ Carr leads the Fighting Irish this season, and he could be one of the most talented gunslingers in the country if he meets expectations. The dangerous running back duo of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price return to Notre Dame this season, after combining for 1,871 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns last year. Freeman and the potentially explosive Fighting Irish offense will be an obstacle for Texas A&M, but the defense could be exploited if sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed pans out. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
USA Today
01-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Against all odds: What are Texas A&M's chances to reach the 2025 SEC Championship?
Against all odds: What are Texas A&M's chances to reach the 2025 SEC Championship? After finishing last year's campaign 8-5 (5-3 SEC), the Texas A&M football program is eyeing another opportunity to reach the Southeastern Conference Championship in 2025. It will be easier said than done, however. The conference is in no short supply of depth and talent, as 12 teams have odds of 5000 or better to make an appearance in the championship game this season. The question is, what are the odds the Aggies reach the SEC Championship for the first time in program history? According to BetMGM, here are the current odds for each SEC program to participate in this year's conference championship. Texas A&M was within striking distance of reaching the championship game last season, before the Aggies dropped three of four contests to close out the regular season. Heading into the second year under head coach Mike Elko, the Aggies fanbase is clamoring for more. With the talent on this year's squad, reaching the big game is a realistic goal for the Aggies. Sophomore dual-threat quarterback Marcel Reed returns after finishing last season by throwing for 1,864 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Aggies also brought in multiple outstanding transfers during the offseason, including former NC State standout wide receiver KC Concepcion and Mississippi State's Mario Craver. Not to mention, running back Le'Veon Moss returns after showcasing his ability to lead the Aggies on the ground last season. This year's schedule is daunting, however. Texas A&M has to go on the road at Notre Dame, LSU, and Texas this season. According to On3 Sports, the Aggies' schedule is the ninth-toughest in the country in 2025. The program's strength of schedule is 0.807, and its projected win total currently stands at 8.1. Out of On3's top 10 most difficult schedules this season, nine programs are from the SEC. With everyone facing a new challenge on the road to reaching the apex of the conference, it will be intriguing to see how the Texas A&M Aggies handle the adversity that will eventually arise throughout this year's campaign. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
The Star
17-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Azeem shows courage but misses the mark in Kentucky
Malaysian 100m champion Muhd Azeem Fahmi in action during the training session at Zhejing sports complex for 19th Asian Games in China yesterday..28/09//2023/ Star. PETALING JAYA: National sprinter Mohd Azeem Fahmi (pic) showed courage despite a slight hamstring pain to compete in the men's 100m event at the Southeastern Conference Championship but it was not good enough to book a place in the final. Azeem posted 10.35s after running into headwind at the University of Kentucky Track in Lexington, Kentucky yesterday to finish third in the second heat, behind teammate Kanyisola Ajayi (10.15s) and Florida University's Jaden Wiley (10.26s). If the conditions had been favourable to Azeem, he would have recorded below 10.30s, but it still would not have been enough to qualify for the final as only the nine fastest from the heats qualify. He will now gear up to compete in today's 4x100m relay final as he is among the four fastest Auburn University athletes in the 100m. 'I took a week off and ran into a headwind,' he said. 'But it is good to be on track again (after skipping training for a week). I hope to help the team win another medal in the relay.' Auburn are targeting their third gold of the season in the 4x100m relay in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In the Louisiana State University Championships, Azeem teamed up with Israel Okon, Dario Matau, and Makanakaishe Charamba to clock a blistering 38.49s - the fourth-fastest time in the NCAA this year. They also topped the podium at the Tom Jones Invitational on April 19 with an even faster time of 38.39s. Azeem, who holds the national 100m record of 10.09s set at the 2022 World Junior Championships in Cali, Colombia, is chasing a sub-10s time to secure a spot in the World Championships in September.
