Aug. 30 vs. UTSA

Sep. 6 vs. Utah St.

Sep. 13 @ Notre Dame

Sep. 20 - BYE

Sep. 27 vs. Auburn

Oct. 4 vs. Mississippi St.

Oct. 11 vs. Florida

Oct. 18 @ Arkansas

Oct. 25 @ LSU

Nov. 1 - BYE

Nov. 8 @ Missouri

Nov. 15 vs. South Carolina

Nov. 22 vs. Samford

Nov. 29 @ Texas

I'm not a big fan of two major things: the bye in the fourth week of the season and the three-game stretch from Oct. 18 to Nov. 8 where A&M is on the road (with another bye).

UTSA is 6-6 this year, but have won three of their last four. But they should be a decent warmup game. Utah State (4-8) will be breaking in a new coach, Bronco Mendenhall, so they're in a state of flux right now.

Notre Dame, of course, is the big non-conference game. The Irish aren't going to look like the same team that we saw this year, with QB Riley Leonard and much of their defense leaving. Getting them pretty early on could work to A&M's advantage.

Auburn (5-7) will clearly be a revenge game, but they're also a team that will look very different and will have to be active in the portal. They have an excellent recruiting class coming in, but don't really have a quarterback for 2025 right now. They lose quarterback Payton Thorne, running back Jarquez Hunter, wideout Keandre Lambert-Smith and most of their secondary. A&M will definitely be favored here.

Mississippi State (2-10) is an utter disaster right now. Jackson Arnold is likely transferring from Oklahoma to take over at quarterback, but they've lost a bunch of major pieces from a weak roster already.

Florida (6-6) is a team that was getting better at the end of the year and DJ Lagway has improved significantly from when A&M played the Gators early on this season. But they're taking a lot of hits on the defensive side of the ball in the portal, so it's kind of a wait and see for them. But offensively, they should be much improved.

Then the road gets tougher. Literally, because it's the road.

Arkansas (6-6) will host A&M for the first time since 2013, and their crowd will clearly be fired up for that game. But Arkansas is being absolutely decimated by the portal, and could take a significant step back.

LSU (8-4) got some good news when QB Garrett Nussemeier said he was returning. But they also have bigtime turnover, especially on their defensive front and wide receiver. Still, you know they will have plenty of talent on offense and they should be active in the portal, making them more dangerous. The bigger worry is that game will almost surely be a night game in Baton Rouge, so they'll be looking for blood after A&M drilled them this fall.

A&M smacked Missouri (9-3) 41-10 this year, so they'll be looking for payback. They should return a decent core, but they lose QB Brady Cook, WRs Luther Burden and Theo Wease and nearly their entire starting defense. The Tigers have a lot of work to do in the portal. It's hard to judge what they'll be like next year.

South Carolina (9-3) will almost surely be A&M's toughest home game. LaNorris Sellers will return, as will a lot of their offensive weapons. Rocket Sanders will be gone, though, and they don't really have a clear-cut RB1 for 2025 right now. But much of the defense returns, so this game is shaping up to be a major clash.

Samford is the pre-rivalry game cupcake. Next.

Texas (11-2) will lose four-fifths of their starting offensive line, their entire starting defensive line and much of its secondary, to say nothing of Quinn Ewers and and Isaiah Bond (both could come back, but probably won't). But they've got plenty of young talent and can start the reload with Arch Manning and Colin Simmons on offense and defense. And you know that DKR will be an absolute madhouse with A&M coming to town.