Texas A&M nearly blew a 27-point cushion of its own last November before escaping South Carolina 31-30. This time the Aggies arrive with a CFP resume and a Gamecocks team fighting to save a coach's job.
Bush’s Picks
TA&MSC
TA&MSC
OverUnder
Best BetTexas A&M
Texas A&M enters this cycle with a CFP resume, a locked-in quarterback, and a coach who just got paid to stay. South Carolina is rebuilding its offensive infrastructure around LaNorris Sellers and hoping the pieces gel by November. Until the Gamecocks prove the new-look offense travels, backing the Aggies to win outright is the safer read.
Texas A&M
+11-2 in 2025 with first CFP berth
+Elko signed through 2031, program stability
+Reed returns, No. 3 transfer class nationally
−Lost DPOY Cashius Howell and DL/LB core
−Backup QB O'Neill transferred out
−Spring injuries to Sanford, Bussey, Bethel-Roman
South Carolina
+Sellers passed on NFL Draft buzz to return
+New OC Briles plus OL/RB coaching overhaul
+Beamer extended through 2030, admin backing
−Finished 4-8, missed bowl, 6th straight loss to Clemson
−Beamer named SEC's coach under most pressure
−Starting LT Thompson out for season, DL/OL injuries
Texas A&M went 11-2 last season, tied for the best regular-season record in the SEC, and made the program's first-ever College Football Playoff appearance before falling to Miami. Mike Elko cashed in with a 6-year, $69 million extension through 2031, and Marcel Reed is back for his junior year after a Heisman-buzz 2025. South Carolina, meanwhile, finished 4-8 and missed a bowl game entirely — the worst season of Shane Beamer's tenure — capped by a 6th straight loss to Clemson in the Palmetto Bowl.
LaNorris Sellers is the reason anyone in Columbia is optimistic. The dual-threat QB turned down real NFL Draft buzz to come back for a redshirt junior season, and Beamer responded by gutting his offensive infrastructure — new OC Kendal Briles arrives from TCU, plus a new OL coach and RB coach, all built around keeping Sellers healthy and schemed into space.
Show fees
11:00 PM CT
Spread
ML
Total
TA&M Texas A&M
SC South Carolina
That's the swing factor here: A&M's defense is due for a reset. SEC Defensive Player of the Year Cashius Howell is gone to the NFL, along with both starting DTs and leading tackler Taurean York — a serious hole for a defense that carried the Aggies deep into the season. South Carolina's answer is a rebuilt front for Sellers, assuming the offensive line reinforcements hold up by the time November rolls around.
Texas A&M Aggies
Oct 23?@ Alabama—
Oct 17?vs The Citadel—
Oct 9?@ Missouri—
Oct 2?vs Arkansas—
Sep 25?@ LSU—
Sep 19?vs Kentucky—
Sep 12?vs Arizona State—
Sep 5?vs Missouri State—
South Carolina Gamecocks
Oct 30?@ Oklahoma—
Oct 23?vs Tennessee—
Oct 9?@ Florida—
Oct 2?vs Kentucky—
Sep 25?@ Alabama—
Sep 19?vs Mississippi State—
Sep 12?vs Towson—
Sep 5?vs Kent State—
Recent form.
A&M's roster overhaul this offseason wasn't small — a transfer class ranked No. 3 nationally by On3, aimed squarely at replacing the defensive pieces lost to the league. But depth behind Reed took a hit when backup QB Miles O'Neill transferred to UNC, and spring camp brought real injury scares: team captain Daymion Sanford was carted off in the spring game, and receivers Terry Bussey and Ashton Bethel-Roman both dealt with lower-body issues. None of that changes the season expectations in College Station — this program is now playing for playoff runs, not just bowl eligibility.
South Carolina's own offseason was rougher on the injury front. Starting left tackle Josiah Thompson, who'd made 24 of 25 possible starts, is out for the year after surgery, and the Gamecocks lost a defensive lineman and a transfer offensive lineman to spring injuries as well. Beamer got an extension through 2030 last January, but he's also been flagged as the SEC coach facing the most heat entering 2026 — a fourth straight losing campaign against A&M would make that pressure a lot louder.
Texas A&M Aggies
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
South Carolina Gamecocks
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
The history between these two only sharpens the storyline. A&M leads the all-time series 10-2, and last year's meeting still stings in Columbia — South Carolina blew a 27-point lead in a collapse that effectively ended its bowl hopes on the spot. Whatever shape both rosters are in by the first weekend of November, this is a rematch the Gamecocks have unfinished business with, and an Aggies team with real playoff aspirations doesn't have much reason to let them settle it.
