Mike Elko calls out critics of Texas A&M's schedule: 'Everybody's got a challenging stretch'

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko, fresh off the Aggies’ first run to the College Football Playoff under his guidance last season, is tired of people talking down on Texas A&M‘s schedule.

Last season, the Aggies opened their historic campaign with two buy games (UTSA and Utah State) and a massive win over No. 8 Notre Dame. They opened the season with an 11-0 record, before falling to No. 16 Texas in their regular season finale and No. 10 seed Miami in the First Round of the College Football Playoff.

A&M earned criticism for its weaker SEC slate, which featured eight different teams from the conference. Five of those teams finished with less than six wins last season, and four of those teams changed head coaches this offseason. Elko, however, is tired of hearing how the Aggies ‘lucked’ into a College Football Playoff appearance last season.

“Yeah, so I want to record this segment right here so that you guys can’t change your mind in the season. That’s what happened last year,” Elko said on Wednesday’s episode of The Paul Finebaum Show. “Last year, we had the same conversation in the offseason. Then, we got in the season and I had to listen to people saying we didn’t play anybody. When you play nine SEC games, there’s no way to slice it. You look up and down the conference this year, everybody’s got a challenging stretch.”

Mike Elko speaks very high of SEC, success in NFL Draft and TV ratings

Elko went even further in explaining how stacked the conference is from top to bottom, bringing up TV ratings and NFL Draft representation. In 2025, the SEC led all conferences in draft picks (79).

“Everybody’s got games on the road, and that’s a lot of really elite programs. That’s why we coach in this league, that’s why kids want to play in this league, and that’s why we’re represented in the NFL Draft more than anybody. It’s daunting for sure, but it’s what we signed up for. That’s what the SEC is, and that’s what makes this conference great. That’s why our TV ratings are so high, and that’s why the passion around this sport in the SEC is so big.”

Texas A&M‘s schedule takes a bit of a step up this season, as five of its nine SEC opponents won at least eight games last season (Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Texas). Three of the four teams that did not reach that mark changed head coaches this offseason (Kentucky, LSU, and Arkansas). The nine-game SEC schedule is sure to be a gauntlet for all 16 SEC teams, bringing conversations over strength of schedule to an abrupt end in 2026.

The Aggies open the 2026 campaign on Sept. 5 with a home game against Missouri State.