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The landscape of college football's postseason is set for a dramatic transformation. By 2027, the College Football Playoff will expand to 24 teams, effectively doubling the current 12-team format and ushering in a new era that redefines how programs gauge achievement.
While opinions vary on whether the sport is becoming too similar to the NFL, one thing is clear: the standards for success are about to shift across the nation. For Texas A&M, those standards should be set sky-high.
The Aggies have invested heavily in pursuit of a national championship, yet the returns have often been underwhelming. The expanded playoff doesn't solve underlying issues, but it does offer a clearer route to contention—and it makes the consequences of falling short even more severe.
A Lifeline for an Imperfect Program
Over the past decade, Texas A&M has shown a remarkable ability to make things difficult for itself. From baffling road performances to an offense that sometimes seems to forget how to score, the Aggies have turned promising seasons into letdowns with alarming regularity.
The 24-team playoff provides a buffer against that tendency. Under the 12-team format, a couple of early losses could put a team in a precarious position by November. With 24 invitations available, there is more room for error, giving programs like Texas A&M a chance to recover from the occasional disastrous Saturday.
That doesn't mean the regular season loses its meaning. Losing to Texas will still hurt, and quality wins and ugly losses will still shape seeding. But a bad loss in October no longer has to be a season-ending obituary.
Mike Elko's 11-2 campaign in 2025 showed what Texas A&M can achieve under his leadership. The disappointing 2026 season shouldn't erase that accomplishment, and Elko deserves some patience as he works to get the program back on track. Beginning next season, however, that patience should be much harder to come by.
Missing the Playoff Would Be Inexcusable
Texas A&M didn't give Elko a six-year contract extension worth approximately $69 million to compete for invitations to the Texas Bowl. The school made that investment because it believed he could establish the Aggies among college football's elite, and the new postseason format makes that expectation easier to meet.
There is no reasonable excuse for Texas A&M to miss a 24-team playoff under normal circumstances. The Aggies recruit at a level most programs envy, and their financial resources provide advantages that should make postseason participation routine.
If Elko can't produce one of the country's 24 best teams with all the resources at his disposal, Texas A&M should have a serious conversation about whether he's the right person to lead the program. Missing the playoff should be a fireable offense.
Making it, meanwhile, shouldn't automatically qualify as a successful season. Under the new system, merely receiving an invitation won't carry the same weight. The Aggies should expect to win postseason games, and anything less should raise legitimate questions about whether the program is progressing.
If the Aggies still can't get through the door, somebody will have a lot of explaining to do.
Seth Dowdle graduated from TCU with a degree in sports broadcasting and journalism and joined On SI in 2025. In addition to writing for Texas A&M On SI, he writes for MLB On SI and is also the editor-in-chief at The Football Corner. Follow sethdowdle.