A road test against the South Carolina Gamecocks, if both teams end up taking the step up they’re expected to, should make for an interesting matchup for the Texas A&M Aggies.

At their ceiling, a win would keep Mike Elko and company in consideration for the College Football Playoff, and at their worst, it might be a game serving no other purpose than salvaging a season.

However it goes by time November rolls around, the Aggies won’t be taking it lightly, nor will the Gamecocks. Boasting a new-look offense and a strong returning defense should make them a solid opponent, especially with home-field advantage.

That being said, here are our predictions for the game from the Texas A&M On SI staff:

Last time the Aggies visited the Gamecocks, they lost to them for the first time ever. Granted, that was 2022, A&M was struggling with injuries and even then it was still a close game at the end. Texas A&M quickly got back to their winning ways last year and I don’t see why the same thing shouldn’t happen again this year. Aggies take an easy road win.

Texas A&M 28
South Carolina 10

To be frank, South Carolina is overrated every year. Connor Weigman is going to feast on that weak defense. I look for A&M’s offense to rack up the yards and the points. Beamer Ball is not what it used to be.

Texas A&M 38
South Carolina 17

While Texas A&M is coming off a poor season, it is likely to benefit from a full season with Conner Weigman and a new coaching staff that came in at an ideal time considering where it was under Jimbo Fisher. Now that the Aggies are ready to realize more of their potential — a first-year system might present some challenges — they’ll come out looking different in most games, road or home.

While South Carolina is also likely to have a similar jump, I have the Aggies taking care of business on the road.

Texas A&M 24
South Carolina 10

Several South Carolina elementary school staffers were canned after photos emerged showing employees posing as Border Patrol agents and wearing stereotypical Mexican clothing at a school event this week, officials said.

Staff members at Royall Elementary School in Florence donned the offensive outfits for an “Olympic Parade” event on Wednesday — a professional development day before students’ first day of class. 

Photos from the event posted to the school’s Facebook page showed two employees wearing sunglasses and gray shirts with “US Border Patrol” posing in front of a hand-made brick wall display.

In another picture, several staffers wore bright-colored sombreros in front of a sign that said Royall “Cantina” — Spanish for “bar.”

Dozens of parents and community members took to social media to condemn the images as racist and unacceptable, WCIV reported.

“There were so many other ways to represent Mexico in the “Olympic Parade” Neither Border Patrol actually has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with “Back to School” or the “Olympics” in case yall did not know! And a “Cantina” is also an inappropriate representation of the Mexican culture,” posted one mother of a Royall student, who wished to be anonymous.

The mom’s post has gone viral with backlash pouring in from all over the country, calling the teachers’ actions “insensitive,” according to WCIV.

Annette Fling, a Mexican-American mother who has children in the district, called the stunt “a disgrace.”

“As a Mexican American, as an Hispanic woman, as a mother of biracial Hispanic children in the Florence 1 School district. I’m highly offended, highly offended,” Fling told the outlet.

“These are educators with degrees that should have known better. Out of all the things they could have done to the culture, community, country of Mexico, they chose to use the U.S. Border Patrol,” she continued. “And Royal Cantina, which is a Spanish word for bar. Inappropriate, racial. Just all around flat out a disgrace.”

School District Superintendent Richard O’Malley contacted parents and said that several employees were fired over the controversy.

“I wanted to inform you that, due to the serious nature of this incident, several employees are no longer employed by the district or have been placed on leave by the district’s administration. As superintendent, I will not tolerate anything of this nature in our school district,”  O’Malley said in Friday email, obtained by the Post and Courier.

It’s unclear which, if any, of the employees pictured were among those let go.

The school also offered an apology saying the post showed “an insensitive disregard for the current challenges our Hispanic population faces.”

The Post has reached out to school and district officials for comment.

The Racial Justice Network released a statement and accused the district of having a “habitual past of displaying discrimination” and blamed the teachers for pushing “Trump’s agenda,” WPDE reported.

“There was a lot of work, time, effort, and thought put into this display. There was no regard for the students and how some would feel and what message they were sending to others,” the organization said.

“We would like to know what the motives behind this were and what did the school hope to gain from this. The only thing they would gain would be to push Former President Trump’s agenda. School is no place for racism and politics,” they said.

Week 9 presents an interesting challenge for the Texas A&M Aggies as they hit the road against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Granted, last year under coach Jimbo Fisher, the Aggies had no runway to say any game would have been “easy,” but the Gamecocks certainly struggled, even with Spencer Rattler calling the shots. This year, LaNorris Sellers is set to take over a new-look offense and the defense is returning some of its strong stars like Debo Williams.

South Carolina might take some time to find its groove — as will the Aggies — but by time both squads match up against each other, many of the inconsistencies will likely have been ironed out.

That being said, the Aggies will have to post a strong performance on both ends of the floor if they want to leave Columbia victorious, and the Gamecocks will have to hold their own.

Here’s how they can each do that:

It can neutralize the crowd. Entering any hostile environment in the SEC is a tough task, regardless of history and past season’s performance. South Carolina, sporting multiple new weapons, will be bringing a stronger version of itself than it would have all season because of more experience and time spent playing together. If the Aggies want to pull off a win, they’ll have to stop the Gamecocks from gaining yards and find the end zone themselves in order to take away any momentum gained from a cheering crowd.

It deflates the Aggies’ rhythm. Texas A&M, barring any injuries, is set to have a full season with talented quarterback Conner Weigman. That, combined with the culture shift that’s come from a new coach, is likely to make next season’s Aggie squad much different from one season ago. If the Gamecocks allow themselves to fall behind on offense and don’t generate stops, they could be in for a long night, but if they can stop the Aggies from getting comfortable, they’ll be the ones with the upper hand.