I do honestly admire the optimism about eventually one of those teams breaking through, I just don't see it happening anytime soon. The talent gap between just Texas and A&M is pretty substantial. I googled the averages between 2022-2025 and Texas is 4th and A&M is between 10-11 (10.5 is what it says). That's not a small margin in recruiting.
However, with portal additions it's hard to know, but both teams recruit mainly HS talent, but A&M has had to use the portal substantially more than Texas, and it's paying off this year. Now if Elko can continue to recruit elite HS kids (the bread and butter of contenders) and has an eye for talent that aren't rated "elite" the gap will shrink over time. But he has to at the very least recruit top-5 for the next 5 years to even the gap by recruiting ratings standards, just as Sark has done. But after this year, you're losing Concepcion (great pickup), but keeping Craver and Bethel-Roman (a very solid recruit), but then you have to beak in more high school kids, and you aren't going to have a Bethel-Roman every year, which is no easy task. You lose Moss. But keep Owens (he's trash, I'm sorry. He just is), Smith, and Daniels, but you're bringing in two solid RBs, and already have two RS, but they still need to catch up to the speed of the game. You get Reed back, who is much better than any of us speculated would be. So while you do have talent at WR coming back, you still need at least 3 more quality starters, and I don't see any on the roster, so a talented frosh like Myles will either sink or swim, or Aaron Gregory/Kelshaun Johnson (I don't see him making an impact in year one, but I also don't follow Klein's usage of RS-FR, either. He's seemed fast in HS, but I don't and didn't follow him as a recruit and didn't care if we landed him or not. I know we wanted him at some point, but we ended up with Lockett, Ffrench, and McCutcheon, who I believe is a stratosphere ahead of Johnson, but I'm a Longhorn).
I know it looks like I'm tearing your team down, but I'm not. You're just an aggie and it's easier to use aggie players since we all know them. So you lose Moss, Daniels, and Smith, but keep Owens (net negative), and then someone named Jamarion Marrow as a RS-FR, Tiger Ridem Jr RS-FR, and true frosh Hatton (who I believe will be a stud) and Edwards (he'll most likely RS). That's tough, man. That's a lot to replace in the RB room. You lose Concepcion, but get back Craver and Bethel-Roman (both net positives), and then RS-FR five-star Myles back from injury (unknown if injury will linger), as well as RS-FR Izaiah Williams, Kelshaun Johnson, TK Norman, and true frosh Aaron Gregory (will be good), Madden Williams (will be good), and then three-star guys. That's still a lot to replace in the WR room. And we haven't even gotten to the OL or DL/D in general.
Neither of us are Ohio State or Bama under Saban, Kirby where we can just re-load. But the gap is still there. If Sark beats Elko this year it's going to start looking like a Sark vs Venebals problem, or a Sark vs Kirby/Day problem, and that's not good, especially if your key to getting either home field advantage or not in the CFP is in the way. But that's assuming you have another magical year when if you can beat Arizona State, Texas, Tennessee, LSU (it all depends on who they hire. They're a shit show but have talent), Alabama, Florida, Mizzou. Miss St (who have made a serious turn around) and Auburn (I refuse to mention scrubs with little talent like Kentucky, Samford, Arky, SC).
The same goes for us, as we have to beat Ohio State, ou, Tennessee, Florida, Ole Miss, and A&M.
Right both Texas and A&M are #8 and #9 in recruiting, but like always they'll make a jump before signing day. But it's a great first class for Elko, but he has to keep it up. My point being, tech isn't making that jump to NC, neither is Indiana for now, and it'll be interesting to see how Elko faces off against let's say Ohio State, Georgia, Bama. Oregon, Ole Miss, etc. Does he have the talent? Can he sustain talent and not regress? Those are issues with A&M and have been. I realize it's a new regime, but this is uncharted territory, and y'all had the easiest schedule in the entire conference by a country mile, and were gifted a win against ND (but whatever.a win is a win).
There is a reason for over 4 decades a blue blood or new blue blood has won the NC and no one else beneath them has.
We're far closer to Georgia talent-wise and they just rag dolled us in embarrassing fashion. Ours is a coaching issue, not talent issue, and if we continue on the path we're on, we'll be seeing a new regime come 2028.