Mike Elko's Septembers have been flawless. The Texas A&M coach is 8-0 in the month since taking over in College Station, and the Aggies will look to extend that streak to nine when they host Arizona State at Kyle Field on Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN.
The Aggies opened 2026 with a slow start before demolishing Missouri State 50-0. A&M scored just one touchdown on its first four drives before the switch flipped. Quarterback Marcel Reed threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-30 passing, while the defense forced three fumbles and held the Bears to 67 yards of offense.
Arizona State should be a much bigger challenge than the Conference USA opponent. Head coach Kenny Dillingham has led his alma mater to a 19-8 record over the past two seasons, including a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. The Sun Devils began their fourth year under Dillingham by crushing Morgan State 70-7, with quarterback Cutter Boley throwing for 387 yards and six touchdowns on 21-of-27 passing.
BetMGM has the Aggies as 14.5-point favorites with an over/under of 50.5. The moneyline sits at A&M -700, Arizona State +525.
The Sun Devils are a bowl team, but not the squad that came within one fourth-down stop of beating Texas in the 2024 playoffs, according to Austin American-Statesman's Cedric Golden. Golden predicts Reed and wideout Mario Craver will put on a show in a 42-24 win.
Kirk Bohls of the Statesman noted that three ASU receivers went over 100 yards last week against Morgan State, but he believes A&M's secondary is the team's strength. He predicts a 35-14 win for Elko's bunch.
All nine CBS writers are taking the Aggies straight up, though opinions vary on whether A&M will cover the spread.
The Aggies were dealt a brutal road schedule that includes LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma. They'll also host Texas, per usual, in what's been a clash that helped decide the SEC title game the past few years. To make a second straight CFP appearance, a win against ASU seems imperative for A&M.
The 2024 playoff appearance for Arizona State came under Dillingham, who has rebuilt the program in his image. The Sun Devils' 70-point outburst in Week 1 was their most prolific scoring effort of the Dillingham era, though it came against an overmatched opponent. Morgan State is not a benchmark for what A&M will bring.
Texas A&M's defense, which surrendered just 67 yards to Missouri State, will face a far more dynamic passing attack. Boley's six-touchdown performance suggests the Sun Devils have weapons on the outside, even if the competition level was questionable. Three receivers went over 100 yards in that game, which will test an Aggies secondary that Bohls considers the strength of the team.
Reed's efficiency in the opener, completing 70 percent of his passes, gives A&M a stable presence under center. The slow start against Missouri State is a concern, but the Aggies corrected course quickly. The question is whether that early sluggishness carries over against a legitimate opponent.
Arizona State has won 19 games over the past two seasons, a mark that places Dillingham among the more successful young coaches in the country. His ability to reach the playoff in 2024, even with a loss to Texas that came down to a single fourth-down stop, established the Sun Devils as a program on the rise.
The Aggies' schedule does them no favors. Trips to LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma loom, and the annual showdown with Texas has decided SEC title game participants in recent years. Dropping a home game to Arizona State would put A&M in an early hole with the toughest part of the season still ahead.
The spread suggests oddsmakers expect a comfortable A&M win, but the Sun Devils have shown they can compete with elite competition. Dillingham's teams have been resilient, and the 2024 playoff run proved they can win close games against quality opponents.
Elko's perfect September record includes last week's beatdown of Missouri State and the Aggies' playoff appearance in 2025, where they hosted Miami in College Station on Dec. 20. That game, a round one College Football Playoff matchup, ended with Reed looking for an open receiver at Kyle Field, a snapshot of a program that has reached the sport's biggest stage under its current coach.
Saturday's game will be the first real test for both teams this season. The CBS writers are unanimous on the winner, but the margin of victory remains an open question.
According to Yahoo Sports.