Mike Elko Not Falling for the Hype Just Yet: 'We Don't Talk About 5-1'

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko is making sure his team stays grounded amid recent success.

Oct 5, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; SEC Nation host Laura speaks with Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko prior to the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The Texas A&M Aggies rose up 10 spots to No. 15 in the AP Poll after decimating then-No. 9 Missouri in a 41-10 win on Saturday.

The Aggies now enter their bye week on a five-game winning streak while boasting a 5-1 record and a 3-0 mark in SEC play. The narrative in College Station has done a complete 180 since the season-opening loss to Notre Dame, and the hype is certainly hard to ignore.

But not for head coach Mike Elko.

When speaking Wednesday at the Houston Touchdown Club, Elko made it clear that the team isn't going to get too high or too low with still so much season ahead. Getting caught up in all the recent success could be Texas A&M's downfall, and Elko is making sure his guys avoid doing just that.

"The human response is to relax," Elko said, per Olin Buchanan of TexAgs. "When given opportunity the response is to relax. In order to be great at anything you have to make the conscious decision to fight that. ... We're building that mindset."

Elko and the Aggies were criticized for their performance at home against Notre Dame. The offense looked putrid, as Conner Weigman had a difficult time finding receivers in a game where Texas A&M's defense did enough to win.

But even with the injury to Weigman, the team stayed grounded. Marcel Reed took the reins at quarterback and provided Texas A&M with an undeniable spark that resulted in wins over Florida, Bowling Green and Arkansas before Weigman's return against Missouri. This culminated in the Aggies putting together their most complete game of the season.

Was Elko pleased with the blowout win over a Top 10 team? Of course. Who wouldn't be? But potentially falling into "satisfied" territory is something he's quickly moved on from.

"We don't talk about 5-1," Elko said, per Olin Buchanan of TexAgs. "We don't talk about how good the result was against Missouri. We don't talk about how bad the result was against Notre Dame. We talk about how to get better."

If the Aggies keep everything in front of them, there's no reason why they can't make it to the SEC Championship Game and earn a College Football Playoff bid in the process. The team's final three road games against Mississippi State (Oct. 19), South Carolina (Nov. 2), and Auburn (Nov. 23) are all matchups in which Texas A&M will likely be favored while the two toughest remaining games against LSU (Oct. 26) and Texas (Nov. 30) will both take place at Kyle Field.

The Aggies will have to keep their emotions balanced before coming out of the bye week to face Mississippi State in Starkville on Saturday, Oct. 19.