Where does Texas A&M go from here? The Aggies enter their bye week at 4-4 after a catastrophic fourth quarter against Alabama. They went into the final frame with a lead, gave up 14 points, and scored none. That’s brutal.

Now the schedule doesn’t get any kinder. Texas A&M opens the final stretch with a road trip to Columbia, South Carolina, to face the Gamecocks. Then the Volunteers come to town. After that, the Aggies head to Norman, Oklahoma, to take on the Sooners. They close the regular season back home at Kyle Field against the Texas Longhorns.

I’ll be completely honest here. Knowing A&M has to win two of those four games just to reach a bowl game, I find that path very difficult.

Texas A&M has been in this position before

I’m not trying to be negative for the sake of being negative. But a program sitting at 4-4 with that schedule ahead of it needs a reality check, and that’s where my head is going into this bye week.

The real question is where Texas A&M should prioritize its time. What can you take away from this season?

Need I remind you of 2022? The Aggies went 5-7 that year. But they finished the season starting Conner Weigman, Evan Stewart, and a lot of true freshmen, and they beat LSU to knock the Tigers out of playoff contention.

That’s the blueprint. I think the spoiler role is what A&M needs to adopt, and that means living with the fact that you’re going to play a lot of young players early and often. Those snaps tell you which players are worth keeping. They also tell you where to put additional dollars to make sure those guys don’t leave as the Mike Elko Era moves into its next phase.

And you may say, Tegan, why would a team still fighting for a bowl game hand reps to kids? Because those two goals aren’t in conflict. The young guys can still help you win these games, and you learn what you have along the way.

Rest of season expectations on the field

Here’s how I’d attack the final four games. Lean heavily on the rushing attack and throw the kitchen sink at these opposing offenses. Three of those four offenses, and honestly all four of them, have not shown an overwhelming ability to score on good defenses.

South Carolina has a volatile quarterback. Tennessee wants to run the football, and if you shut that down, you have a great chance to win. Oklahoma and John Mateer, very similar to A&M, haven’t gotten consistent quarterback play, and the Sooners’ offensive line has not been fantastic. And Texas, even after knocking off Ole Miss, has had its own offensive problems.

So shorten the game. Squeeze every possession. Make the opponent’s mistakes hurt more than yours, and don’t turn the football over. Is that a lot to ask from Marcel Reed at this point? Absolutely. But if the Aggies pull it off, I think they have a solid chance to go 2-2 and get to a bowl.

Am I predicting it? Probably not. I’m not putting my name on a bowl trip with this schedule and this version of the offense.

But that should be the theme of this bye week for Texas A&M. Play the upset game, find out what you have in the young players, and make somebody’s November miserable the way the 2022 team did to LSU. If the Aggies do that, this season still can mean something, even if the record doesn’t show it.