Yes, but it might not show up in the win column. Let me explain.
Texas A&M plays in the SEC West, the most difficult division in college football. With strength of schedule adjustments, the Aggies look better in my team performance ratings than their record over the past few seasons (8-5 in 2014, 2015).
The Power Rank’s preseason model with its schedule adjustments ranks Texas A&M 10th for 2016. The Aggies are a strong program that would be the favorite on a neutral site against all but 9 teams. However, this rank doesn’t translate into a high expected win total.
Texas A&M is the fourth of seven SEC West teams in the rankings. They travel to play the three teams below them (Arkansas in Arlington, Mississippi State and Auburn) and also play Tennessee out of division. This difficult schedule implies a predicted win total of 7.6 games.
The Aggies struggled throwing the ball last season. However, the arrival of graduate transfer QB Trevor Knight, the Sugar Bowl MVP during his time at Oklahoma, should help the passing game immediately.
On the other hand, Texas A&M has had an atrocious rush defense the past three season. They don’t match up well against strong rushing teams like Alabama and LSU.
This article was adopted from The 2016 College Football Win Totals Report, which has my predictions for all 128 bowl subdivision teams. For more information on how to get your copy, click here.
Do you have a link to an analysis of your 2015 preseason projections and the post-season results? (Not trying to throw shade, just curious). As a fan of Georgia Tech, I was shocked that our 2014 Orange Bowl champs went 3-9 last year, and I’m just wondering if the stats hinted at that ahead of time.