Trev Alberts reveals whether 2026 game vs. Texas will be played on Black Friday

Texas A&M vs. Texas might become a staple on Black Friday moving forward and A&M AD Trev Alberts is all about it. It’s about making your game stand out during rivalry week.

Speaking ahead of Friday’s game against the Longhorns, Alberts expected the game to be on Friday night in 2026 when the matchup returns to Kyle Field in College Station. Although Texas A&M lost to Texas 27-17, the Aggies should still make the College Football Playoff.

But it just goes to show the game means a bunch as the schools brought it back once Texas joined the SEC in 2024. Alberts is all about doing what’s best for the game and fans.

“Well, you have a lot of different factors, and I do anticipate it’ll stay on Friday for us,” Alberts said. “And you know, Chris (Del Conte) and I talked about this a little bit, what you really want, from my perspective, is you want this game to be in a window where you’re like, ‘Yeah,’ right? You know, we believe that this game, and it already is. But you know, when two teams who invest so much in football and this game means a lot to them, this is a rivalry that has a real chance. 

“And so you want that to be in a prime time window when the entire focus of the country is on those two brands. And so we’re excited that it’s in prime time. We’re excited it’s Friday night, and we think it’s a perfect time, and I would anticipate, unless there’s something significantly that changes with our television partner, or even numbers of conference games and all this time in the future, but for right now, I think it fits really nicely Friday night.”

Texas A&M, despite losing to Texas, is still in a good spot at 11-1 and being ranked No. 3 in the country. Head coach Mike Elko recently signed an extension to stay with the school amid rumors that other openings could poach him.

“Again, at the end of the day, I think what’s important is this is a unique place,” Alberts said. “Every place is unique, and you want people who really want to be here. Mike wants to be here and we’re grateful for it. We’re really blessed and fortunate that Mike Elko is our football coach.”

Even with their first loss of the season, Texas A&M will await its fate on Selection Sunday. That should result in a College Football Playoff appearance for the first time.