The Texas Longhorns are No. 1 in the national polls and so are naturally atop the SEC. The Aggies could be a rising star.

Left out of the national championship for the last two seasons, the SEC is eager to reclaim its mantle as the most dominant conference in college football in 2025. Key to good placement in the College Football Playoff will be how the selection committee views your strength of schedule,

The move comes as the College Football Playoff prepares to implement new metrics in 2025 that emphasize strength of schedule, a shift that could give SEC teams an edge. Under the new model, each school will play three permanent rivals and rotate through six additional conference opponents each season.

Outside of facing Texas, who two other SEC programs will Texas A&M annually face under the new nine game conference format?

The Southeastern Conference announced Thursday a new scheduling format for football starting in 2026, adding a ninth conference game, keeping long-standing rivalries and mandating all teams play a “high quality nonconference game.

The Longhorns currently have UTSA and UTEP on the schedule for the 2030 and 2031 seasons, respectively. Though Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte has already been adamant about the Longhorns scheduling tough non-conference opponents, the new change now ensures Texas will have some intriguing opponents to look forward to in 2030 and 2031.