Mike Elko, Texas A&M Aggies Head to Final 3 Weeks of Season with 'Urgency'

The Texas A&M Aggies are tied for first in the SEC, but with three more weeks of football to play, they'll aim to remain in favorable position by simply winning. And doing so with urgency.

Sep 30, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies coach Mike Elko points to a player after a win over the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium. / Matt Guzman-Texas A&M Aggies On SI

The road ahead for the Texas A&M Aggies isn't one envied by many.

Without their star running back, Mike Elko was tasked with guiding his squad through two weeks without true playoff implications: One bye week and one give-me game against New Mexico State.

After that, the Aggies will hit the road for a conference must-win against the Auburn Tigers before returning home for what will be the toughest challenge of the season against the Texas Longhorns.

Through all of it, they're clinging to a non-existent margin for error. And the road they've taken to reach this point.

“It doesn’t feel like an easy schedule," Elko said, crediting his team with the wins it had already secured. "It hasn’t felt like an easy schedule. When you play in the SEC, as a coach, the word ‘easy’ never comes to mind.”

To his credit, knocking off LSU at home was no easy feat, even if the Tigers seem to be slightly subpar in comparison to their look-test. Besting Arkansas at a neutral site in an annual rivalry game took every ounce of effort the Aggies had.

Taking care of business against a then-red-hot Missouri squad will end up being a positive mark on Texas A&M's record, too, but despite those highs, the path to the postseason remains simple moving forward.

“That’s the beauty of the SEC," Elko explained. "If we win, we’ll be in. If we don’t, then we won’t.”

As it sits, the Aggies are tied for tops in the SEC with the Tennessee Volunteers, though they're one of three teams with just one conference loss — Texas being the other. Tennessee still has to face Georgia on the road, which could put them in the mess of two-loss teams as early as next week.

If that ends up being the case, and Texas secures wins over Arkansas and Kentucky, it'll come down to the Aggies beating Auburn, in which case the two rivals will compete for outright first place.

In other words, win and you're in.

In another scenario, the Aggies fall to two conference losses and face the gauntlet of tiebreakers that ultimately takes fate out of their hands. Elko knows that, but isn't spending his weeks playing "What If."

Instead, he's keeping his team operating the same as it has all season.

“Business as usual with maybe a little bit of understanding that the urgency has to go up," Elko said. "Everybody in our building understands that these opportunities don’t come around all the time.”

“All of that drives the daily preparation," he continued. "If the kids understand they have to elevate in this process and take this process higher, that’s what you look for.”

As Texas A&M continues to work toward its end-of-season showdown with the Longhorns, it'll be monitoring the standings. What it'll see, beyond a sea of combinations, is a team capable of securing its first College Football Playoff bid in school history.

Yet, at the same time, a team with everything to gain has everything to lose.

“We don’t have any margin," Elko said. "We have to go. It’s time to go.”

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