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Texas A&M ranked top 10 in ESPN's 'Way-Too-Early' Top 25 rankings
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- Texas A&M ranked top 10 in ESPN's 'Way-Too-Early' Top 25 rankings
The Indiana Hoosiers were crowned 2026 National Champions on Monday night after defeating Miami (FL) 27-21 in an exciting back-and-forth matchup that ended with the Hoosiers intercepting Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck to bring home the program's first-ever title in storybook fashion.
Before Indiana hired head coach Curt Cignetti from JMU, the Hoosiers were the doormat of the Big Ten and were never in contention for the postseason. Two years later, Cignetti, along with an elite coaching staff, built Indiana into a College Football Playoff team filled with former James Madison players and transfer portal additions who were never considered the best players out of high school, but played with a relentless mentality that led to Monday's historic victory.
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Just moments after the confetti dropped and the championship trophy made its way to Indiana's locker room, ESPN released its annual "Way-Too-Early" Top 25 college football rankings, now focused on the 2026 season. After losing to national runner-up Miami in the first round of the CFP, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko likely watched Monday's game, knowing that, if Indiana of all places can compete and win a national championship, why can't the Aggies?
Losing more than a dozen over 20-plus players to the NFL Draft and the transfer portal, Elko and his staff immediately went to work once the portal opened, landing 17 players, including Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Horton, and promising Northwestern edge rusher Anto Saka, who could be Elko's next star pass rusher after Cashius Howell's departure.
After being ranked No. 8 in USA TODAY Sports and On3's preseason Top 25 rankings, ESPN placed the Aggies at No. 10, noting that Mike Elko is building the program towards long-term success and has rebuilt the 2026 roster, including four offensive line starters from the SEC.
"Second-year coach Mike Elko guided the Aggies to an 11-0 start and seemed to be on their way to one of the best seasons in program history . But a 27-17 loss to rival Texas in the regular-season finale and 10-3 defeat to Miami at home in a CFP first-round game ruined the ending. Still, the Aggies seem to be built to last under Elko, who went back into the portal to rebuild his roster. Texas A&M had heavy losses on both the offensive and defensive lines. Elko signed four former starting offensive linemen from SEC schools, and picked up promising pass rusher Saka and CJ Mims from North Carolina. Quarterback Marcel Reed is coming back and needs to be more consistent. He'll benefit from receiver Mario Craver re-signing. Holmon Wiggins takes over the playcalling on offense after Collin Klein left for Kansas State, and Lyle Hemphill is in charge of the defense."
Any chance of making it back to the College Football Playoff starts and ends with Marcel Reed improving in the pocket, and if the new offensive line holds up, the return of star receiver Mario Craver and the addition of Isaiah Horton provide Reed both elite speed and now size with Horton, who will also become a go-to target in the red zone.
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Amid a tough 2026 schedule, this newly formed roster looks the part at this early stage.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M ranked No. 10 in ESPN's 'Way-Too-Early' Top 25 rankings
