IN: Texas A&M earns No. 7 seed, will host Miami at Kyle Field

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with additional information regarding gametime and opponent notes.

In.

For the first time ever, the Fightin’ Texas Aggies are finally... In.

On Sunday, it was announced that Texas A&M (11-1) will be the No. 7 seed in this year’s College Football Playoff.

As a result, Mike Elko’s Aggies will host No. 10 seed Miami (10-2) in a first-round matchup at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 11 a.m. CT on ABC.

The victory will see No. 2 seed Ohio State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year’s Eve.

Not only will it be the first time the Home of the 12th Man has hosted a postseason game, but it also represents the first time the Maroon & White have cracked the bracket.

Of course, there were close calls in the past.

There was the initial ranking of 2016. Then the infamous final ranking of 2020.

Yet those were four-team playoffs. With a 12-team field, the 11-win Aggies could not be denied.

Even after a loss in the regular-season finale, the Aggies’ resume metrics remained extremely high. According to ESPN’s College Football Power Index, A&M sat at No. 3 in Strength of Record and No. 16 in Strength of Schedule entering Selection Sunday. A&M even owns one of the best road wins in college football — a 41-40 triumph at Notre Dame Stadium on Sept. 13.

All of that was enough to ensure home-field advantage in the first round, despite a precarious penultimate rankings update earlier this week.

Beyond metrics, the Aggies rank 20th nationally in total offense (454.4 yards per game), 14th in scoring offense (36.3 points per game) and 19th in total defense (309.8).

A&M’s roster also features game-changing stars on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, quarterback Marcel Reed (3,398 yards of total offense) has a pair of weapons at receiver in KC Concepcion (886 receiving yards, 12 total touchdowns) and Mario Craver (825 receiving yards, five total touchdowns). Additionally, All-SEC tailback Le’Veon Moss could return to action after being sidelined since Oct. 11.

On defense, Cashius Howell is one of the country’s best pass rushers with 11.5 sacks to his credit this fall. At different points in 2025, defenders Albert Regis, Daymion Sanford and Dayon Hayes have earned SEC Player of the Week honors, and that doesn’t even include captain Taurean York, who leads A&M with 67 total tackles at linebacker to go along with six TFLs and a sack.

Indeed, the stars must shine brighter when the lights are brightest — which they will be in College Station in just 13 days.

Miami, under the guidance of fourth-year head coach Mario Cristobal, enters the postseason as the lone ACC team in the field. The Hurricanes are 10-2 and did not play in the ACC title game because both of their losses came in conference play to Louisville and at SMU in overtime. Miami’s best wins might bookend their schedule with a 27-24 victory vs. Notre Dame in Week 1 and a 38-7 thrashing at Pittsburgh on Nov. 29.

Georgia transfer Carson Beck directs the Hurricane offense that ranks 29th in total offense (425.8) and 20th in scoring (24.1). On defense, Miami is 11th in yards allowed per game (277.8) and sixth in points allowed per game (13.8).

This will be the sixth meeting between the Aggies and Hurricanes. Miami holds a 3-2 edge in a series that dates back to a 70-14 A&M victory in 1944. Most recently, the two schools split a non-conference home-and-home in 2022 and 2023, with the Ags winning in former at Kyle Field before the Canes returned the favor in Miami Gardens.

Stay tuned. More Selection Sunday content to come shortly.

College Football Playoff Top 25 - Dec. 7, 2025
 

Italics denotes Southeastern Conference member