Texas A&M football 2019 season preview: Best and worst-case scenario

With a brutal schedule looming for the 2019 season, the Texas A&M Aggies aim to play spoiler in the SEC in their second season under Jimbo Fisher.

Jimbo Fisher arrived in College Station last year and, with him, brought big expectations for Texas A&M football. The result was a 9-4 season that culminated in a 52-13 win over NC State in the Gator Bowl. With two of their only losses coming against Clemson and Alabama, though, the Aggies looked far better than their final record would indicate.

Entering the 2019 season, there are reasons for optimism with Texas A&M. Quarterback Kellen Mond flashed star potential last season, the wide receiver group in College Station can be elite and the defensive line has the potential to be one of the best position groups in the SEC. That all adds up to potentially big things for Fisher’s team.

Of course, the Aggies do have departures to deal with, trying to replace running back Trayveon Williams, tight end Jace Sternberger, center Erik McCoy and needing players to step up on defense behind the line. Making matters tougher for the Aggies is a brutal schedule that could derail them.

Having that in mind, let’s get into the best and worst-case scenarios for Texas A&M in the 2019 season.

Texas A&M best-case scenario

• Aug. 29 – vs. Texas State – W
• Sept. 7 – at Clemson – L
• Sept. 14 – vs. Lamar – W
• Sept. 21 – vs. Auburn – W
• Sept. 28 – vs. Arkansas – W
• Oct. 12 – vs. Alabama – L
• Oct. 19 – at Ole Miss – W
• Oct. 26 – vs. Mississippi State – W
• Nov. 2 – vs. UTSA – W
• Nov. 16 – vs. South Carolina – W
• Nov. 23 – at Georgia – L
• Nov. 30 – at LSU – W

Record: 9-3

Many people would consider Texas A&M a top-10 (or at least top-15) team in college football entering the season. However, their schedule is unbelievably daunting. Another early-season matchup against Clemson gets things started in that regard and, led by Trevor Lawrence and fresh off a National Championship win, the Tigers look darn near unbeatable this season.

While playing the Crimson Tide at home is somewhat of a silver lining, Alabama is still the more complete and superior team in a matchup against the Aggies. Even in the best of times, it’s hard to see Fisher’s team winning that one. The same can be said for their trip to Athens in the penultimate game of the season as Georgia figures to be a lethal force, one that’s probably not going to lose a relatively even-matched contest at home in 2019.

In the best-case scenario for A&M, though, those should be the only three losses on the schedule. Matching the Aggies up against their non-conference schedule and the rest of the SEC, they have the talent and coaching to beat everyone and again end the year with a respectable record.

Texas A&M worst-case scenario

• Aug. 29 – vs. Texas State – W
• Sept. 7 – at Clemson – L
• Sept. 14 – vs. Lamar – W
• Sept. 21 – vs. Auburn – W
• Sept. 28 – vs. Arkansas – W
• Oct. 12 – vs. Alabama – L
• Oct. 19 – at Ole Miss – W
• Oct. 26 – vs. Mississippi State – W
• Nov. 2 – vs. UTSA – W
• Nov. 16 – vs. South Carolina – W
• Nov. 23 – at Georgia – L
• Nov. 30 – at LSU – L

Record: 8-4 (5-3 SEC)

The only difference between the best- and worst-case scenarios for Texas A&M in the 2019 season is the regular-season finale against LSU. On the whole, the Aggies and Tigers should be well-matched, as they were last year in their record-setting matchup. Thus, that game could swing either way, making it the linchpin for determining which scenario plays out.

Really, though, that tells you what you need to know about Fisher’s team this season. They have the talent to be considered one of the best teams in the SEC but their schedule is ultimately going to limit the amount of success that they’re going to have. No matter if things go well or poorly, they’re likely going to lose the three toughest games on the schedule.

Subsequently, A&M enters the year with very little variance as to what can happen. It’d be great to say that they could beat Georgia, Alabama and Clemson but it just doesn’t seem realistic. Therefore, when you look at the best- and worst-case scenarios, there’s just a one-loss difference between the two — meaning you can pretty much take an eight- or nine-win regular season to the bank for the Aggies in 2019.