The Texas A&M Aggies and Tarleton State Texans have mutually agreed to cancel their football game in 2026, according to a report from Robert Behrens of Good Bull Hunting.
A source has confirmed to me that Texas A&M and Tarleton State have canceled their non-conference football game scheduled for Nov. 21, 2026. This information was obtained via an open records request.
While it was not explicitly stated, it stands to reason that this could be…
— Robert Behrens (@rcb05) November 5, 2025
Texas A&M and Tarleton State originally signed a contract for a football game back in December 2019. The contract initially called for the two schools to meet at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, on Nov. 22, 2025. The agreement was later amended, which changed the date of the game to Nov. 21, 2026.
Following the report from Behrens, KBTX News confirmed the report that the Texas A&M-Tarleton State game had been canceled and, citing Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts, noted that the cancellation was mutual. Neither schools will have to pay a cancellation fee, per the KBTX report.
With Tarleton State off the schedule, the Aggies now have one non-conference opening on their 2026 schedule. Texas A&M is scheduled to open the season with back-to-back games at home against the Missouri State Bears on Sept. 5 and the Arizona State Sun Devils on Sept. 12.
The SEC will play a nine-game conference schedule for the first time beginning next season. Texas A&M is slated to host Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas and will travel to Alabama, LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.
Tarleton State is now down to three non-conference opponents in 2026. The Texans open the season with consecutive games on the road against the Bowling Green Falcons on Sept. 5 and the McNeese Cowboys on Sept. 12. Tarleton is slated to host the Prairie View A&M Panthers on Sept. 26.
Football Schedules
Tarleton State must be playing too well to be an SEC FCS opponent. They are 9-1 this year and did beat Army.
Who has Army won against?
Powerful Air Force, Charlotte, Alabama-Birmingham and that joke of a Kansas State team.
Most of the FCS top 50 would win against Army, that is no great achievement. Mutual agreement means Tarleton was in just as much of a hurry to get out of this game.
C’mon, JM. Do you think Tarleton really has any leverage in a buy-game arrangement with a gargantuan in-state university like A&M?
Incidentally, how’s your Penn State eye-test working out these days? Do you still think they’d be whipping a lot of upper-half SEC tail?
If I’m doing my sums right, the Lions are on a 1-8 run against P4 competition (having beaten SMU in a first-round playoff game).
Cancelled Tarleton State, in order to play…… Lincoln (CA)!!!
You beat me to that comment.
You know, I am a fan of no FBS team, but it often seems like people who make these types of claims don’t ever site the team they follow. It wouldn’t surprise me if that would be a team that has tough games like Austin Peay and Charlotte on their schedule or something very similar.
Tarleton is under the academic umbrella of Texas A&M so wouldn’t it make sense they don’t play each other and risk injuries or upstaging A&M.?
Tarleton State has not gotten to the level of A&M and the next best thing. Let A&M keep their $$$$$$